- 1[intransitive] (formal or literary) (of people or animals) to die, especially in a sudden violent way A family of four perished in the fire. Thousands perished at the hands of the invading forces.
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- 2[intransitive] (formal) to be lost or destroyed Early buildings were made of wood and have perished. Idioms
perish
verbNAmE//ˈpɛrɪʃ//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they perish he / she / it perishes
past simple perished
-ing form perishing
used to say that you find a suggestion unacceptable or that you hope that something will never happen Me get married? Perish the thought!
Check pronunciation: perish