perished; perishing; perishes
1
: to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist
recollection of a past already long since perished—
Philip Sherrard
Philip Sherrardguard against your mistakes or your attempts (perish the thought) to cheat—C. B. Davis
C. B. Davis2
chiefly British
: deteriorate, spoil
Examples of perish in a Sentence
Two people perished in the fire.
The sailors perished at sea.
The civilization perished after 500 years.
Many ancient languages have perished over time.
The rubber will perish with age.
Recent Examples on the Web
At the time, Mao was on the back foot politically after his disastrous Great Leap Forward, an industrialization campaign in which as many as 45 million people perished in famines.
—M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2025
These are some of the memories Lacy and John Lawrence will treasure of their 8-year-old twin daughters who both perished in the Texas Hill Country floods that took the lives of at least 134 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic.
—Joan Chrissos
july 17, Miami Herald, 17 July 2025
Some tens of thousands of Ukrainians have perished over the past three years, including more than ten thousand civilians; their country lies in ruins.
—Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Virginia Wynne Naylor, an 8-year-old Bubble Inn camper, also perished in the flood.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
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M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2025
These are some of the memories Lacy and John Lawrence will treasure of their 8-year-old twin daughters who both perished in the Texas Hill Country floods that took the lives of at least 134 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic.
—Joan Chrissos
july 17, Miami Herald, 17 July 2025
Some tens of thousands of Ukrainians have perished over the past three years, including more than ten thousand civilians; their country lies in ruins.
—Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Virginia Wynne Naylor, an 8-year-old Bubble Inn camper, also perished in the flood.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perish. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perish
verb
per·ish
ˈper-ish 
: to pass away completely : become destroyed
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