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View synonyms for

perish

[ per-ish ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to die or be destroyed through violence, privation, etc.:

    to perish in an earthquake.

    Synonyms:

  2. to pass away or disappear:

    an age of elegance that has forever perished.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

    Antonyms:

  3. to suffer destruction or ruin:

    His valuable paintings perished in the fire.

  4. to suffer spiritual death:

    Save us, lest we perish.



perish

/ ˈɛɪʃ /

verb

  1. to be destroyed or die, esp in an untimely way
  2. tr sometimes followed by with or from to cause to suffer

    we were perished with cold

  3. to rot

    leather perishes if exposed to bad weather

  4. perish the thought!
    may it never be or happen thus
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. do a perish informal.
    to die or come near to dying of thirst or starvation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • i· adjective
  • i·Գ noun
  • ܲ·i adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of perish1

1200–50; Middle English perissen < Old French periss-, long stem of perir < Latin ī to perish, literally, go through, spend fully, equivalent to per- per- + ī to go
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Word History and Origins

Origin of perish1

C13: from Old French é, from Latin ī to pass away entirely, from per- (away) + ī to go
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. perish the thought, may it never happen: used facetiously or as an afterthought of foreboding.

More idioms and phrases containing perish

In addition to the idiom beginning with perish , also see publish or perish .
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Synonym Study

See die 1.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

All the fish perished, according to Meredith Hendricks, executive director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, a nonprofit organization that owns and manages the preserve.

From

Ernest Salomon of Santa Barbara, almost 90, said he and some of his immediate family escaped German death camps while other relatives perished.

From

The Trump administration also allegedly coordinated with Israel to block aid to Gaza, where more than 100,000 innocent people have perished.

From

Some wondered whether their loved ones had perished on this desolate spot.

From

“In our assessment, she died some time after impact and probably perished in the tow yard,” said John Carpenter, an attorney with the firm Carpenter and Zuckerman who is now representing Cameroni De Adams’ family.

From

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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.

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ˌˈDZ辱perishable