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perish

/ˈpɛrɪʃ/
/ˈpɛrɪʃ/
IPA guide

Other forms: perished; perishing; perishes

To perish means to die. Your brother's goldfish might perish if he forgets to feed it — so be sure to remind him that Goldie needs her dinner!

Perish comes from a Latin verb that means "to pass away." Many passengers on the Titanic perished after the ship hit an iceberg. Perish can also be used figuratively, as when an op-ed argues that the idea of the American Dream perished in the 21st century. People also sometimes use this word simply to be dramatic. You might, for instance, tell your mom that you'll perish if you aren't allowed to spend the weekend at your best friend's house.

Definitions of perish
  1. verb
    pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
    “The children perished in the fire”
    break, break down, conk out, die, fail, give out, give way, go, go bad
    stop operating or functioning
    die
    suffer or face the pain of death
    see moresee less
    types:
    abort
    cease development, die, and be aborted
    asphyxiate, stifle, suffocate
    be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
    buy it, pip out
    be killed or die;
    drown
    die from being submerged in water, getting water into the lungs, and asphyxiating
    predecease
    die before; die earlier than
    famish, starve
    die of food deprivation
    fall
    die, as in battle or in a hunt
    succumb, yield
    be fatally overwhelmed
    strangle
    die from strangulation
    type of:
    change state, turn
    undergo a transformation or a change of position or action
Pronunciation
US
/ˈpɛrɪʃ/
UK
/ˈpɛrɪʃ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘perish'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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