What does perishing mean?
Perishing means dying, but the word usually adds a sense of violence, tragedy, suddenness, or severe suffering. It can describe a person who dies in a disaster, an animal that is killed, or a person overcome by cold, hunger, or exhaustion. Perishing may also refer to the destruction or disappearance of something, such as buildings, documents, or forests in a catastrophe. Because of its strong associations with death and ruin, it has a formal and dramatic quality and is less common in neutral everyday speech than “die.” The expression is particularly effective when the cause of death is dangerous or desperate: a ship’s crew might perish at sea, while crops perish during a prolonged drought. In figurative use, the verb often emphasizes the complete loss of something that had previously existed or thrived.
To die, especially in a violent, sudden, or tragic manner.
"The sailors perished when the boat overturned."
More formal and dramatic than “die”; frequently used with causes of severe danger or hardship.
To be destroyed, ruined, or made to disappear.
"Most of the early manuscripts perished in the fire."
Common in literary and historical descriptions of the destruction of people, places, or things.
To suffer extreme cold, hunger, or other hardship that threatens life.
"The stranded travelers were perishing in the freezing wind."
Often used in the construction “perish from” followed by a cause of suffering.
“Perishing” carries a distinctly final note: it often suggests a sudden or terrible death, not the ordinary passing away of a person.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does perishing come from?
The word comes through Old French from Latin perire, meaning “to destroy” and “to perish.” The Latin verb is related to forms found in other Indo-European languages, including Sanskrit parish-, meaning “to disappear” or “perish.” English developed several derivatives from the same root, including perishable, meaning liable to die or decay, and imperishable, meaning unable to be destroyed or lost.
Related word forms
How perishing is actually used
The word is literary or formal in tone and is more common in writing than in everyday conversation. It often suggests a violent or untimely death, while “die” is the ordinary neutral term. It is also used figuratively for things being destroyed or people suffering extreme deprivation.