MEANING
1. To dry, shrivel, or lose vitality, especially of plants or living tissue.
2. To diminish in vitality, force, or effectiveness.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- leaves wither
- a withered stem
On the page
The leaves withered although the soil remained wet.
A pale stem withered between the two marks on the wall.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- wither
- Past tense
- withered
- Past participle
- withered
- Present participle
- withering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- wither
- Present continuous
- am/is/are withering
- Present perfect
- have/has withered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been withering
- Past
- withered
- Past continuous
- was/were withering
- Past perfect
- had withered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been withering
- Future
- will wither
- Future continuous
- will be withering
- Future perfect
- will have withered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been withering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: wither; withers; withered; withered; withering Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: withers.
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