perishable

American  

[per-i-shuh-buhl] / ˈpɛr ɪ ʃə bəl /

adjective

1. subject to decay, ruin, or destruction.

   perishable fruits and vegetables.

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noun

1. Usually perishables. something perishable, especially food.

perishable British  

/ ˈpɛrɪʃəbəl /

adjective

1. liable to rot or wither

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noun

1. (often plural) a perishable article, esp food

Usage

What does perishable mean? Perishable is used to describe an item, usually food, that typically spoils within a relatively short amount of time, such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products.Such items are often simply called perishables. (When used as a noun, the term is most commonly plural.)The term is often contrasted with nonperishables—food items that can be stored for a long time without spoiling, like dried grains, beans, and pasta.Perishable foods need to be specially stored (like in a refrigerator) or eaten relatively quickly. Nonperishables, on the other hand, are things that will last a long time without refrigeration or other special storage.Example: Let’s try to eat all the perishables before we go on vacation—we don’t want to come back to spoiled milk and rotting tomatoes.

Other Word Forms

• perishability noun
• perishableness noun
• perishably adverb
• unperishable adjective

Etymology

Origin of perishable

First recorded in 1605–15; perish + -able

Example Sentences

But pricing and availability of perishable goods can change hourly, so Instacart wanted the chatbot to call its servers for real-time data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fox also confirmed that perishable food due to be used at the Boxing Day Test will be donated to a local charity.

From BBC

The flight disruptions are also upending essential cargo such as pharmaceutical products and perishable goods, as well as aircraft parts that Venezuelan carriers need to maintain their fleets, said Cerdá.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some restaurants discarded thousands of dollars in fresh produce; others distributed perishables to staff or the community.

From The Wall Street Journal

Amazon said on Wednesday it has expanded same-day delivery of perishable groceries to more than 2,300 U.S. cities and communities, more than doubling its existing footprint.

From Barron's