Illustration of perch
- 3perch 1a
1
: a bar or peg on which something is hung
2
a
: a roost for a bird
b
: a resting place or vantage point : seat
c
: a prominent position
his new perch as president
3
chiefly British
: rod sense 2
perched; perching; perches
: to alight, settle, or rest on a perch, a height, or a precarious spot
: to place on a perch, a height, or a precarious spot
plural perch or perches
1
a
: a small European freshwater bony fish (Perca fluviatilis of the family Percidae, the perch family)
b
2
: any of numerous bony fishes (as of the families Percidae, Centrarchidae, and Serranidae)
Synonyms
Examples of perch in a Sentence
Verb
pigeons perching on the roof
perched the baby in a basket
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
During the nighttime surveys, researchers went inside a restaurant and found six small lizards perched on the wall, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
An electric fan was perched on an ironing board, blowing air toward the bed.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Notably, at the pop-up, the bird is seen happily perching on a different shelf, not caged at all.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Apr. 2024
Ice sits at the poles A planet perched right at the sun’s maw shouldn’t harbor any water, let alone ice—or so researchers thought.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Lana Del Rey arrives at her #Coachella headlining set perched on a motorcycle.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
Artists perched around Bellerby's London studio painstakingly blend and apply paint — dreamy cobalt and mint for the oceans, yellow, greens and ochre for the landscape.
—Laurie Kellman, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
This was on an afternoon in late March, and Wiig and Rudolph, who specialize in lighter, glass-free fare, were perched high over New York in the penthouse suite of a luxury hotel with a zillion-dollar view — rooftops, rivers, the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The high perch also allows views of the Hudson River to the west and south-facing vistas of Times Square and the Midtown skyline.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024
In photos shared on Instagram by Roach on Thursday, April 18, Zendaya perches on a couch in a massive black and white striped gown and a beaded wig.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Main, of Ellwood City, was fishing off Presque Isle on Lake Erie when the perch hit his jig, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
Still, don’t expect the august perch to change (La)Horde’s approach.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
How Walmart is winning over shoppers Walmart has dominated the Charlotte market share since 2019, knocking Harris Teeter from the No. 1 perch that year.
—Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024
Patrick’s ascent through the ranks of Sephora to one of the top perches in beauty is a dramatic version of the classic American dream.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
If the shallows in your local water feature some rocks and vegetation, odds increase that the perch are piled in.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
Swift fans, experts at the deep dive, have uncovered portraits of Swift that are styled much like Bow’s; she’s seen perched in similar poses, even, in some cases, wearing similar capes, furry stoles, or camisole-type tops.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
During the nighttime surveys, researchers went inside a restaurant and found six small lizards perched on the wall, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
An electric fan was perched on an ironing board, blowing air toward the bed.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Notably, at the pop-up, the bird is seen happily perching on a different shelf, not caged at all.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Apr. 2024
Ice sits at the poles A planet perched right at the sun’s maw shouldn’t harbor any water, let alone ice—or so researchers thought.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Lana Del Rey arrives at her #Coachella headlining set perched on a motorcycle.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
Artists perched around Bellerby's London studio painstakingly blend and apply paint — dreamy cobalt and mint for the oceans, yellow, greens and ochre for the landscape.
—Laurie Kellman, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
This was on an afternoon in late March, and Wiig and Rudolph, who specialize in lighter, glass-free fare, were perched high over New York in the penthouse suite of a luxury hotel with a zillion-dollar view — rooftops, rivers, the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
The abrupt worsening of water quality caused a drop in the amount of oxygen in the water, killing fish including nonnative perch, bluegill and bass that had been introduced in the reservoirs.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The high perch also allows views of the Hudson River to the west and south-facing vistas of Times Square and the Midtown skyline.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024
In photos shared on Instagram by Roach on Thursday, April 18, Zendaya perches on a couch in a massive black and white striped gown and a beaded wig.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Main, of Ellwood City, was fishing off Presque Isle on Lake Erie when the perch hit his jig, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
Still, don’t expect the august perch to change (La)Horde’s approach.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
How Walmart is winning over shoppers Walmart has dominated the Charlotte market share since 2019, knocking Harris Teeter from the No. 1 perch that year.
—Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024
Patrick’s ascent through the ranks of Sephora to one of the top perches in beauty is a dramatic version of the classic American dream.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
If the shallows in your local water feature some rocks and vegetation, odds increase that the perch are piled in.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near perch
Cite this Entry
“Perch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perch. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perch
1 of 3 noun1
: a roost for a bird
2
: a raised seat or position
perch
2 of 3 verb1
: to place on a perch
2
: to land, settle, or rest on or as if on a perch
perch
3 of 3 noun
plural perch or perches
1
: a common North American freshwater fish that is yellowish with dark green vertical stripes and is a popular food and sport fish
called also yellow perch
2
: any of various fishes related to or resembling the perch
Etymology
Noun
Middle English perche "a peg on which something is hung," from early French perche (same meaning), from Latin pertica "pole"
Noun
Middle English perche "a kind of fish," from early French perche (same meaning), from Latin perca (same meaning), from Greek perkē "perch (fish)"
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