perishing 1 of 2

noun

as in dying

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perishing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of perish
1
as in falling
to stop living 12 people perished in the plane crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decaying
chiefly British to go through decomposition after being left out in the summer heat, the milk perished and had to be thrown out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of perishing
Verb
This summer has been a deadly one in Europe, with over 10,000 people perishing in the extreme heat over just a few weeks. — Morgan Simon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Julie Chen Moonves shares her thoughts on that wild Big Brother premiere, including Rachel Reilly perishing in a volcano. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 10 July 2026 Authorities have publicly identified four people who lost their lives over the last week in San Diego County traffic crashes, with three of the victims perishing in head-on collisions in the eastern reaches of the region. — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026 Singh raised his second straight half-century off just 23 balls with eight fours and a six while Iyer brought up his fifty of 31 balls and smacked Thakur four two consecutive sixes before perishing when Dhir took a stunning catch at deep mid-wicket. — ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026 If the Tribune cannot find the story in the tragic events of a young, dedicated firefighter perishing in an arson fire while searching for victims to rescue, maybe leave this story for the journalists who managed to treat the victims of this story with dignity. — Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026 Celebrate steady financial progress rather than perishing in pursuit of perfection. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026 Those who didn’t die onboard eventually tried to walk to across the frozen waters to mainland Canada, perishing on their journey. — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 10 Feb. 2026 The goo stops them from perishing, and the two embrace in a hug. — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perishing
  1. dying
  2. falling
  3. decaying
  4. death
  5. rotting
  6. demise
  7. disintegrating
  8. wilting
Noun
  • Formal rites for the dying, already limited, were further truncated or skipped entirely.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Her sister, Lydia (Alejandra Flechner), accuses her of being a better caregiver to the dying than the living.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of dying
Verb
  • The disruption has sent transits through the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb falling sharply after mostly recovering to their pre-war levels.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This all comes at a time when supply is falling — and falling faster than demand is recovering.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of falling
Verb
  • The family could have cleared out a decaying bungalow and built something simpler in its place.
    — Nuriyah Johar, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
  • These decaying satellites follow a similar incident in June, where one of the first batch of Rassvet-3 satellites fell back to Earth.
    — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of decaying
Noun
  • The death of actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte was met with a wave of grief from his Breaking Bad co-stars, who shared memories of Mitte following the tragedy.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Pavlovsky worked alongside Karl Lagerfeld until his death in 2019; Virginie Viard from 2019 to 2024, and Matthieu Blazy since April 2025.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of death
Verb
  • The bacteria comes from a variety of sources, including soil, water, sewage, rotting vegetation and animals, according to the FDA.
    — Eva Flowe October 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Deer eating pumpkins can attract mountain lions to your yard, and raccoons feasting on rotting gourds can spread disease.
    — Celia Frazier, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotting
Noun
  • Above all, the election could herald the political demise of Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving PM, who has led the nation for all but 18 months since 2009.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Columnist Bill Plaschke wrote how a team with seemingly every advantage fell short, beat writer Maddie Lee documented what led to the demise, while columnist Bill Shaikin provided updates to several questions on the team’s future.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of demise
Verb
  • Scott’s face, in this shot, is a whole novel, disintegrating into tears before being shored up again, eventually rearranged into something resembling a welcoming smile that teeters on the edge of collapse.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The 110-floor south tower, struck shortly after the north tower by another plane, was disintegrating.
    — Diane Herbst, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of disintegrating
Noun
  • Over-fertilization stresses your lawn, causing yellowing, wilting, and weak roots that struggle to absorb water.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Fertilizers leave behind salts in the soil that can pull moisture out of root tissue and cause wilting, yellowing, and eventual browning of leaves.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of wilting

Browse Nearby Words

perishes
perishing
peristyle
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Cite this Entry

“Perishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perishing. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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