perishable

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Likely to decay or spoil quickly, especially food that must be kept cold.

   Grammar: Usually describes a thing, not a person; no comparative forms like ‘more perishable’ in everyday use.

   Patterns

   • perishable food
   • highly perishable
   • perishable goods

   Milk and fresh fish are perishable, so keep them in the fridge.

   The supermarket throws away perishable items that pass their sell-by date.

   Flowers are perishable and wilt within days without water.

2. 2nounusually plural

   A food item that spoils quickly and needs careful storage or prompt use.

   Grammar: Often used in the plural ‘perishables’ to mean a group of such foods.

   Patterns

   • fresh perishables
   • a box of perishables

   The delivery truck carries perishables like yogurt and salad.

   We packed the perishables in a cooler for the picnic.

Common combinations

perishable goods

Perishable goods must be transported in refrigerated trucks.

highly perishable

Berries are highly perishable and bruise easily.

perishable food

Store perishable food below 5°C.

perishable items

Please put perishable items in the fridge when you get home.

Synonyms and how they differ

spoilable

Less common and more technical; perishable is the everyday word for food that goes bad.

decomposable

Used for materials that break down naturally, not for food that spoils.

Opposites

Word family

perish verb

To die or be destroyed, often in a dramatic or literary way.

perishables noun

Foods that spoil quickly, used in the plural.

Commonly confused: perishable or perishing?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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