From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwitherwith‧er /ˈwɪðə $ -ər/ (also wither away) verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]HBPDIE if plants wither, or if something withers them, they become drier and smaller and start to die2 [intransitive] to gradually become weaker or less successful and then end His career had withered. The organization just withered away.3 → wither on the vine→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
wither• Boils and sores burst out over his flesh, his body becomes hunched and arthritic, his skin aged and withered.• They uprooted them, as Marshall had uprooted the cannabis, and watched them wither.• Words to express her feelings seemed to wither and die inside her.• Programmes would wither away if they did not command sufficient local support.• He did, however, curtail his withering critique.• And Basho: On a journey, ill, and over fields all withered, dreams go wandering.• Joe was in top form, spinning stories, issuing pronunciamentos, dropping withering quips at every opportunity.• The fame of Anacreon had withered to nothing with the decay of the times.Origin wither (1300-1400) Probably from weather “to affect with sun, wind, rain, etc.” 