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

At Netflix’s headquarters, employees were encouraged to take home some leftover perishable inventory.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some contracts do indeed provide compensation in the event they get stuck due to a conflict, particularly for perishable cargoes.

From Barron's

For several weeks, a supermarket owner in Goma hasn’t been able to restock the cold-storage section, where he normally keeps perishables.

From The Wall Street Journal

For Ruiz, the Spanish admiral, the exercise’s greatest achievement is refreshing the perishable skill of coordinating resources from so many countries.

From The Wall Street Journal

Think small, perishable, and plausibly ironic like a single excellent chocolate bar, a slim paperback with a clever premise, or a novelty that suggests taste rather than effort.

From The Wall Street Journal