perish

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To die, especially in large numbers or because of a disaster, war or harsh conditions.

   Grammar: Takes no object: many perished. Often followed by in: perished in the fire.

   Patterns

   • perish in something
   • perish from something

   Hundreds of climbers perished on the mountain over the years.

   Many passengers perished in the shipwreck.

   Thousands perished from hunger during the siege.

2. 2verbintransitive

   To be completely lost or destroyed, or, of materials like rubber, to rot and break down.

   Grammar: No object; used for ideas, hopes or materials: the old rubber perished.

   Patterns

   • perish with age

   Fruit left in the sun will soon perish.

   The rubber seals had perished and leaked.

   His dream of an easy life perished that winter.

Word forms

Common combinations

perish in the flames

Several artworks perished in the flames.

perish at sea

Many sailors perished at sea.

perish the thought

Me, late for my own wedding? Perish the thought.

publish or perish

Young scholars often feel pressure to publish or perish.

perish from cold

Several travelers perished from cold.

Synonyms and how they differ

die

Die is the plain everyday word, while perish sounds formal or dramatic and is often used for groups.

succumb

Succumb stresses giving in to illness or injury rather than the fact of dying.

expire

Expire is a calmer, official word and also describes documents or deals ending.

decay

Decay describes gradual rotting of things, not a sudden death.

Opposites

Word family

perishable adjective

likely to spoil quickly, as food

perishables noun

foods that spoil fast

imperishable adjective

never decaying or ending

perishing adjective

extremely cold, in British informal use

Commonly confused: perish or parish?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “perish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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