perish
verb (used without object)
to die or be destroyed through violence, privation, etc..
were perishing
-
past progressiveof perish.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
More than a dozen terrified people waded into a frigid reservoir, nearly succumbing to the cold while their neighbours were perishing in the heat.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 10, 2018
In 2004, some 460 migrants died, and by 2005, more than 500 people were perishing in the desert.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2013
She had no idea that multitudes never tasted anything better than the coarsest black dry bread; and that it was for want of this that many were perishing.
From The Peasant and the Prince by Joseph Martin Kronheim
I told him we were perishing for want of bread, and asked him to give me advice.
From Ghetto Comedies by Israel Zangwill
The conflagration, to which they were compelled to resort, had blighted all these hopes, and now, though victorious, they were perishing in the wilderness of cold and hunger.
From King Philip Makers of History by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
