perishing
Americanadjective
adjective
-
informal (of weather, etc) extremely cold
-
slang (intensifier qualifying something undesirable)
it's a perishing nuisance!
Other Word Forms
- nonperishing adjective
- perishingly adverb
- unperishing adjective
Etymology
Origin of perishing
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; perish, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although Alice never ran the risk of actually perishing in Wonderland, Arisu is another matter because of the very nature of the Borderland and how you gain entry through a near-death experience.
From Salon • Sep. 23, 2025
The young meat-eater had chomped off the hind legs of two parrot-like dinosaurs called caenagnathids before perishing itself.
From National Geographic • Dec. 8, 2023
Levin yelled out into the roar, anything to take his mind off the thought of perishing in a landslide.
From Slate • Nov. 26, 2022
Over recent years, there have been many similar examples of migrants perishing during their journey, but no single event as deadly as what was discovered on Monday.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2022
Not being killed in a car accident may be 99 percent certain, while 98 percent of us may avoid perishing in a household accident.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
