perish

perish
per‧ish /ˈperɪʃ/ verb1. [intransitive] formal or literary to die, especially in a terrible or sudden way:
    Hundreds perished when the ship went down.
2. [intransitive and transitive] especially British English if rubber or leather perishes, it decays
3. perish the thought! spoken old-fashioned used to say that you hope what someone has suggested will never happen:
    If we lose, perish the thought, Watford will take first place.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ die to stop being alive, as a result of old age or illness: I want to see Ireland again before I die. | No wonder your plants always die – you don’t water them enough. | His son died of liver cancer three years ago.
   ▪ pass away to die – used when you want to avoid using the word ‘die’, in order to show respect or to avoid upsetting someone: My wife had just passed away, and I didn’t want to be around people.
   ▪ pass on to pass away – use this especially when you believe that the soul has a life after the death of the body: I’m sorry, Emily, but your mother has passed on.
   ▪ lose your life to be killed in a terrible event: Hundreds of people lost their lives when the ship overturned in a storm.
   ▪ perish literary to die in a terrible event – used especially in literature and news reports: Five children perished before firefighters could put out the blaze.
   ▪ give your life/lay down your life formal to die in order to save someone, or because of something that you believe in: We honor the men and women who have given their lives in service of their country.
   ▪ drop dead informal to suddenly die, when people do not expect you to: One day, he came home from work and dropped dead of a heart attack.
   ▪ kick the bucket/pop your clogs British English, buy the farm American English informal to die – used when you are not talking seriously about death: It’s not like I’m going to kick the bucket tomorrow.