perished

UK: /ˈpɛrɪʃt/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

per•ish /ˈpɛrɪʃ/   v. [no object]

1. to die as a result of violence, etc.:
   Thousands perished in that earthquake.
2. to suffer destruction or ruin.

Idioms

3. Idioms perish the thought, (used to express the wish that something may never or should never happen):
   "Aren't you coming to the concert?'' —"Perish the thought!''

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

per•ish  (per′ish), v.i. 

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.
3. to suffer destruction or ruin:
   His valuable paintings perished in the fire.
4. to suffer spiritual death:
   Save us, lest we perish.
5. Idioms perish the thought, may it never happen: used facetiously or as an afterthought of foreboding.

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

per′ish•less, adj. 
per′ish•ment, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. expire. See die ¹.
• 2. wither, shrivel, rot, molder, vanish.

Antonyms

• 2. appear.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

perish / ˈpɛrɪʃ/ verb (intransitive)

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

noun

1. do a perish ⇒ to die or come near to dying of thirst or starvation

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French périr, from Latin perīre to pass away entirely, from per- (away) + īre to go