wither

1 of 2

verb

with·​er ˈwi-t͟hər How to pronounce wither (audio)
withered; withering
ˈwit͟h-riŋ, 
ˈwi-t͟hə- How to pronounce wither (audio)
Synonyms of wither

intransitive verb

1
: to become dry and sapless
especially : to shrivel from or as if from loss of bodily moisture
2
: to lose vitality, force, or freshness
public support for the bill is withering

transitive verb

1
: to cause to wither
2
: to make speechless or incapable of action : stun
… withered him with a look …—Dorothy L. Sayers

wither

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British
: withers

Synonyms of wither

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of wither in a Sentence

Verb The plants withered and died. shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Unfortunately, despite the best bipartisan intentions of all concerned over the last 18 months, any initiative for a federal TV and film has withered on the Executive Office and Congressional vine. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026 Nathan Hochman has been the subject of withering criticism from Mayor Karen Bass, former cops and even some of his own prosecutors. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 Atlanta City Council is directing city departments to beef up efforts to protect residents from the growing threat of extreme heat after the city recently faced withering critiques from homeless services groups for its response to a recent heatwave. — Drew Kann, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The United States allowed many of its strategic industries, such as shipbuilding, to wither. — Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wither

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English widren; probably akin to Middle English weder weather

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wither was in the 14th century

Rhymes for wither

See All Rhymes for wither

Browse Nearby Words

withen
wither
Wither
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wither. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

wither

verb
with·​er
ˈwit͟h-ər
withered; withering
-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to shrivel from or as if from loss of bodily moisture and especially sap
the crops withered during the drought
2
: to lose liveliness, force, or freshness
support for the candidate withered

Biographical Definition

Wither

biographical name

With·​er ˈwi-t͟hər How to pronounce Wither (audio)
George 1588–1667 English poet and pamphleteer

More from Merriam-Webster on wither

Nglish: Translation of wither for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All