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• wither
  wither

  verb (used without object)

  to shrivel; fade; decay.
• Wither
  Wither

  noun

  George, 1588–1667, English poet and pamphleteer.

wither

¹ American  

[with-er] / ˈwɪð ər /

verb (used without object)

• withers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• withered,
  past participle,  past
• withering
  present participle

1. 

   to shrivel; fade; decay.

   The grapes had withered on the vine.

   Synonyms:

   waste, droop, languish, decline, dry, shrink, wrinkle

2. to lose the freshness of youth, as from age (often followed byaway ).

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verb (used with object)

• withers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• withered,
  past participle,  past
• withering
  present participle

1. to make flaccid, shrunken, or dry, as from loss of moisture; cause to lose freshness, bloom, vigor, etc..

   The drought withered the buds.

2. to affect harmfully.

   Reputations were withered by the scandal.

3. to abash, as by a scathing glance.

   a look that withered him.

   Synonyms:

   shame, humiliate

Wither ² American  

[with-er] / ˈwɪð ər /

Also Withers

noun

1. George, 1588–1667, English poet and pamphleteer.

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wither British  

/ ˈwɪðə /

verb

1. (intr) (esp of a plant) to droop, wilt, or shrivel up

2. to fade or waste

   all hope withered away

3. (intr) to decay, decline, or disintegrate

4. (tr) to cause to wilt, fade, or lose vitality

5. (tr) to abash, esp with a scornful look

6. (tr) to harm or damage

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Synonym Usage

Wither, shrivel imply a shrinking, wilting, and wrinkling. Wither (of plants and flowers) is to dry up, shrink, wilt, fade, whether as a natural process or as the result of exposure to excessive heat or drought: Plants withered in the hot sun. Shrivel, used of thin, flat objects and substances, such as leaves, the skin, etc., means to curl, roll up, become wrinkled: The leaves shrivel in cold weather. Paper shrivels in fire.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• witheredness
  noun
• witherer
  noun
• nonwithering
  adjective
• overwithered
  adjective
• unwithered
  adjective
• unwithering
  adjective
• withered
  adjective
• withering
  adjective
• witheringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• withering
  present
• withered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• wither
  simple
• withers
  simple
• have withered
  perfect
• has withered
  perfect
• am withering
  progressive
• are withering
  progressive
• is withering
  progressive
• have been withering
  perfect progressive
• has been withering
  perfect progressive

Past

• withered
  simple
• had withered
  perfect
• was withering
  progressive
• were withering
  progressive
• had been withering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will wither
  simple
• will have withered
  perfect
• will be withering
  progressive
• will have been withering
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of wither

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, perhaps variant of weather (verb)

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Explanation

Wither means to shrivel up or shrink. If you forget to water your plants for six weeks, they'll wither — they'll dry up and you probably won't be able to bring them back to life. Wither comes from the Middle English word wydderen, meaning "dry up, shrivel." In addition to shrinking, the verb wither can also refer to losing vitality and fading away, like people who wither as they age. They slowly lose their physical stamina and grow feeble. People also start to physically shrink at a certain age. In that way, they wither in both senses. Not only do they wither by losing their youth, they also wither by shrinking.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wither Wither withers withered withering

However, it said previous drought conditions across much of the UK may have caused food plants used by caterpillars to wither before they had finished feeding.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Bumblebee Conservation Trust raised concerns that 2026 may exacerbate a declining trend in bumblebee populations as flowers wither and bees fail to forage effectively.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

All that promise started to wither around 2015, as social media giants gobbled up more and more of the profits that kept earlier hangouts afloat.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Poor Claire and Solange can only watch limply, as their plans of glorious revenge threaten to wither like the fading flowers surrounding them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

But every idea, no matter how good, seemed to wither on the vine of his imagination.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Formal identification has yet to take place, but the family of Jim Wither has been informed.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

The man was later named as 82-year-old Jim Wither, who was reported missing from Johnstone, Renfrewshire.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

“If Uri Geller is disappointed by getting his predictions wrong,” writes Andy, “maybe he’ll cheer himself up with a drink at a Wither Spoons.”

From The Guardian ● Dec. 4, 2021

Related: Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume review – instils fear and wonder And yet, possible though it may be to subsist as an artist in Ireland, it is extremely rare.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 13, 2016

Mrs. Wither had now returned to the house.

From The Truants by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

But if that restraint withers, “there could be damage that would interrupt flows for a long time, even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely open,” said McNally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Today we are more likely to plug the passage into a chatbot to determine its source and then move on to social media, where rudimentary reading thrives yet true literacy withers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Hugo, who lives in Towcester, Northamptonshire, has already reached an "abnormal" 199cm tall, about 6.5ft, or 19.2 hands, to the withers or ridge at the base of the neck.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

The horses are characterised by their "large size, long legs, well-developed musculature, slender and elegant head -- set on a long, straight neck -- expressive eyes, high withers and sturdy hooves," he added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

He stared without expression at the half-page newspaper photos of himself, taken an instant before the wreck, showing him coiled over Fair Knightess’s withers.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Even the normally lush fields of Somerset withered in the heat.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

When the interests of Silicon Valley diverged from those of the military and intelligence worlds, the connection withered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Instead, they have withered to just 0.2% of payments made in the UK - with a total of 77 million written last year.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

In a city flush with cash, the fund’s purpose withered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The huge red flowers were gone, replaced with wrinkled, withered husks, the petals screwed up and decayed.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Norris was withering in his criticism of the track layout, saying: "I don't know how someone looks at this design and goes, 'Mint.'"

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

And in return, they surely will win a third consecutive championship against a withering and overmatched group of pretenders that could add Skubal only in their dreams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

Waller framed the concern bluntly this month: “Sternly staring at inflation until it melts before our withering gaze is not an option.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Tucker’s four-year contract, lucrative as it is, was not accompanied by a withering spotlight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Sparrow’s sorrow was manifest in the withering of flowers around her feet.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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Related Words

• atrophy
• decay
• deflate
• deteriorate
• disintegrate
• dry
• fade
• languish
• perish
• shrink
• shrivel
• wane
• wilt

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