perish
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Related to perish: perish the thought, Publish or perish
perish
expire, shrivel, wither, rot, vanish
Not to be confused with:
parish – an ecclesiastical district, a church with its field of activity
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
per·ish
(pĕr′ĭsh)v. per·ished, per·ish·ing, per·ish·es
v.intr.
1. To die or be destroyed, especially in a violent or untimely manner: "Must then a Christ perish in torment in every age to save those who have no imagination?" (George Bernard Shaw).
2. To pass from existence; disappear gradually: "Man will go down into the pit, and all his thoughts will perish" (A.J. Balfour).
3. Chiefly British To spoil or deteriorate.
v.tr.
Idiom: To bring to destruction; destroy: "Many foul blights / Perish'd his hard won gains" (Thomas Hood).
perish the thought
Used to express the wish that one not even think about something.
[Middle English perishen, from Old French perir, periss-, to perish, from Latin perīre : per-, per- + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
perish
(ˈpɛrɪʃ)vb (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.
3. to rot: leather perishes if exposed to bad weather.
4. perish the thought! may it never be or happen thus
n
do a perish informal Austral to die or come near to dying of thirst or starvation
[C13: from Old French périr, from Latin perīre to pass away entirely, from per- (away) + īre to go]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
per•ish
(ˈpɛr ɪʃ)v.i.
1. to die as a result of violence, privation, etc.
2. to pass away or disappear.
3. to suffer destruction or ruin.
Idioms: perish the thought, may it never happen: used facetiously or as an afterthought of foreboding.
[1200–50; Middle English perissen < Old French periss-, long s. of perir < Latin perīre to perish, literally, go through, spend fully =per- per- + īre to go]
syn: See die1.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
perish
Past participle: perished
Gerund: perishing
Imperative |
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perish |
perish |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Verb | 1. | perish - pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life; "She died from cancer"; "The children perished in the fire"; "The patient went peacefully"; "The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102" croak, decease, die, drop dead, buy the farm, cash in one's chips, give-up the ghost, kick the bucket, pass away, snuff it, pop off, expire, conk, exit, choke, go, pass abort - cease development, die, and be aborted; "an aborting fetus" change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" asphyxiate, stifle, suffocate - be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow" drown - die from being submerged in water, getting water into the lungs, and asphyxiating; "The child drowned in the lake" predecease - die before; die earlier than; "She predeceased her husband" conk out, go bad, break down, die, fail, give out, give way, break, go - stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident" starve, famish - die of food deprivation; "The political prisoners starved to death"; "Many famished in the countryside during the drought" die - suffer or face the pain of death; "Martyrs may die every day for their faith" fall - die, as in battle or in a hunt; "Many soldiers fell at Verdun"; "Several deer have fallen to the same gun"; "The shooting victim fell dead" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
perish
verb
1. die, be killed, be lost, expire, pass away, lose your life, decease, cark it (Austral. & N.Z. slang) the ferry disaster in which 193 passengers perished
2. be destroyed, fall, decline, collapse, disappear, vanish, go under Civilizations do eventually decline and perish.
3. rot, waste away, break down, decay, wither, disintegrate, decompose, moulder The rubber lining had perished.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
perish
verbTo cease living:
Informal: pop off.
Idioms: bite the dust, breathe one's last, cash in, give up the ghost, go to one's grave, kick the bucket, meet one's end, pass on to the Great Beyond, turn up one's toes.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَهْلَك، يَفْنى
zahynoutzaniknout
omkomme
menehtyä
elpusztul
farast, deyja
greitai gendantisžūti
iet bojā
zahynúť
umreti
can vermekölmek
perish
[ˈperɪʃ]A. VI
1. [person] → perecer, fallecer
we shall do it or perish in the attempt → lo conseguiremos o moriremos intentándolo
he perished at sea → murió en el mar
perish the thought! → ¡Dios me libre!
we shall do it or perish in the attempt → lo conseguiremos o moriremos intentándolo
he perished at sea → murió en el mar
perish the thought! → ¡Dios me libre!
2. [food, material] → deteriorarse, estropearse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
perish
[ˈpɛrɪʃ] vi (= die) [person] → périr; [animal] → mourir
the ferry disaster in which 193 passengers perished → le naufrage du ferry dans lequel 193 passagers ont péri
Most of the butterflies perish in the first frosts of autumn → La plupart des papillons meurent lors des premières gelées d'automne.
the ferry disaster in which 193 passengers perished → le naufrage du ferry dans lequel 193 passagers ont péri
Most of the butterflies perish in the first frosts of autumn → La plupart des papillons meurent lors des premières gelées d'automne.
[rubber, tyre] → se détériorer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
perish
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
perish
(ˈperiʃ) verb to die, especially in war, accident etc. Many people perished in the earthquake.
ˈperishable adjective (especially of food) likely to go bad quickly. Butter is perishable.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.