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

Arizona’s governor vetoed a bill that would have let home cooks legally sell perishable food like tamales.

From New York Times

Baked goods should be good through an evening of dancing, but anything perishable left at room temperature for more than a couple of hours may not be safe.

From Washington Post

Though the state promotes itself as a low-tax, low-regulation haven for private enterprise, it does not allow the sale of perishable foods made at home.

From New York Times

Eventually Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade was forced to relax some rules on food labelling to allow perishables to be traded.

From BBC

Officials generally view those as among the most productive forms of intelligence-gathering, but they are potentially perishable if they are exposed.

From Washington Post