Meanings
- May the thought perish; said of an idea or suggestion that is deeply undesirable.
According to industry gossips, Richard and Judy may soon go their separate ways. Not maritally; no, perish the thought.
2007 June 22, Grace Dent, The Guardian, G2, p. 31 more example
What! was he to lose his hold over these boys, and that because he was unable to cope with a boy much smaller and younger than himself? Perish the thought!
1885, Horatio Alger, chapter 13, in Hector's Inheritance
Origin
Equivalent to "[may] the thought perish", with the verb in the subjunctive mood followed by its subject.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Spanish dios nos libre, nunca se vio posible
- dios nos libreTranslations
- nunca se vio posibleTranslations
Cite this entry
perish the thought. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perish%20the%20thought
“perish the thought.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perish%20the%20thought. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perish the thought,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perish%20the%20thought.
Source: perish the thought on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.