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
Rogers boarded her, and proposed to the man in command to get up the steam and try to save the lives of the people who were perishing on every hand.
From The Bramleighs of Bishop's Folly by Charles James Lever
And the thunder-claps rumbled on, one after the other, as if the Past were perishing in the last day....
From Psyche by Louis Couperus
He spared no means to preserve the remains of authors, who were perishing from neglect and time.
From View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages, Vol. 3 by Henry Hallam
