v., -ished, -ish·ing, -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.

To bring to destruction; destroy: “Many foul blights/Perish'd his hard won gains” (Thomas Hood).

idiom:

perish the thought

1. 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.]

verb

To cease living: decease, demise, depart, die, drop, expire, go, pass away, pass (on), succumb. Informal pop off. Slang check out, croak, kick in, kick off. Idioms: bite the dust, breathe one's last, cash in, give up the ghost, go to one's grave, kick the bucket, meetone's endMaker, pass on to the Great Beyond, turn up one's toes. See live/die.

Idioms beginning with perish:
perish the thought

In addition to the idiom beginning with perish, also see publish or perish.

---

v

Definition: die, decline, decay
Antonyms: give birth, live, revive, survive

---

IN BRIEF: v. - Pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life.

Thinkers perish. Thoughts don't. — Malcolm Forbes

Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - omkomme, gå under
v. tr. - ødelægge

idioms:

• perish the thought    det er ganske udelukket

Nederlands (Dutch)
omkomen, verslijten, vergaan, vernietigen, verzwakken

Français (French)
v. intr. - mourir, périr, se gâter (de la nourriture), se détériorer (du caoutchouc)
v. tr. - mourir, périr, pourrir (de la nourriture), détériorer (du caoutchouc)

idioms:

• perish the thought    le Ciel nous en préserve!

Deutsch (German)
v. - umkommen, verderben

idioms:

• perish the thought    Gott behüte

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αφανίζομαι, χάνομαι, πεθαίνω, φθείρω/-ομαι

idioms:

• perish the thought    ο μη γένοιτο!, Θεός φυλάξοι!, μακράν εμού η σκέψη

Italiano (Italian)
perire, scomparire, decomporsi

idioms:

• perish the thought    neanche per sogno, neanche a pensarci!

Português (Portuguese)
v. - perecer, estragar, destruir

idioms:

• perish the thought    nem pensar

Русский (Russian)
гибнуть, пропадать, портиться

idioms:

• perish the thought    Боже сохрани!

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - arruinarse, perderse, estropearse
v. tr. - perecer, fallecer, morir

idioms:

• perish the thought    ¡Dios nos libre!

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förgås, dö, fördärvas

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
毁灭, 腐烂, 死亡, 毁坏, 使麻木

idioms:

• perish the thought    死了心吧

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 毀滅, 腐爛, 死亡
v. tr. - 毀壞, 使麻木

idioms:

• perish the thought    死了心吧

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 멸망하다, 소멸하다, 썩어 없어지다
v. tr. - (식물을)말려 죽이다, 몹시 괴롭히다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 死ぬ, 滅びる, 腐る, 枯れる

idioms:

• perish the thought    今言ったことは忘れてくれ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يهلك, يفنى, يموت, يتلاشى, يودي بضحايا لا تحصى‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮נשמד, מת, התקלקל‬
v. tr. - ‮קלקל, הרס‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.