perish

[ per-ish ]
See synonyms for: perishperishedperishing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to die or be destroyed through violence, privation, etc.: to perish in an earthquake.

  2. to pass away or disappear: an age of elegance that has forever perished.

  1. to suffer destruction or ruin: His valuable paintings perished in the fire.

  2. to suffer spiritual death: Save us, lest we perish.

Idioms about perish

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

Origin of perish

1
1200–50; Middle English perissen<Old French periss-, long stem of perir<Latin perīre to perish, literally, go through, spend fully, equivalent to per-per- + īre to go

synonym study For perish

1. See die1.

Other words for perish

Opposites for perish

Other words from perish

  • per·ish·less, adjective
  • per·ish·ment, noun
  • un·per·ished, adjective

Words Nearby perish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use perish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for perish

perish

/ (ˈpɛrɪʃ) /


verb(intr)
  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

  1. to rot: leather perishes if exposed to bad weather

  2. perish the thought! may it never be or happen thus

noun
  1. do a perish Australian informal to die or come near to dying of thirst or starvation

Origin of perish

1
C13: from Old French périr, from Latin perīre to pass away entirely, from per- (away) + īre to go

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with perish

perish

In addition to the idiom beginning with perish

  • perish the thought

also see:

  • publish or perish

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.