perk

\ ˈpərk

How to pronounce perk (audio)

\

perked; perking; perks

Definition of perk

(Entry 1 of 3)

intransitive verb

1a : to thrust up the head, stretch out the neck, or carry the body in a bold or insolent manner

b : to stick up or out jauntily

2 : to gain in vigor or cheerfulness especially after a period of weakness or depression —usually used with uphe's perked up noticeably

transitive verb

1 : to make smart or spruce in appearance : freshen, improve —often used with up

2 : to thrust up quickly or impudently

perk

perked; perking; perks

Definition of perk (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

perk

Definition of perk (Entry 3 of 3)

: perquisite —usually used in plural

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about perk

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Examples of perk in a Sentence

Noun the salary's not great, but the perks make up for it

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb One of my favorite fall dishes is a carrot, parsnip and sweet potato tagine, perked up with ginger and lots of soft onions. — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, "Root, root, root for rutabaga, turnips and those other unappreciated vegetables," 8 Nov. 2019 The Onondaga tribe, among others from the Northeastern United States, would have been able to serve them with forest berries, perking up the rich, dark meat with color and flavor. — New York Times, "Sean Sherman’s 10 Essential Native American Recipes," 7 Nov. 2019 Five months into Chris Smith's voyage, the tone of his messages perked up and the worrisome talk of suicide disappeared. — James Vlahos, GQ, "The Mystery of the Killer Vacation," 18 Apr. 2018 Video Elephant Parents concerned with their children’s TikTok obsession can perk up with the app’s new feature that lets them have more control over how many videos is too many. — Coral Murphy, USA TODAY, "TikTok offers feature that gives parents more control over their kids' access," 19 Feb. 2020 This lemon sauce pairs perfectly with asparagus, but would perk up pretty much any kind of roasted vegetable. — Katie Workman, NBC News, "How to cook asparagus like a pro — plus 7 recipes you'll love," 6 Feb. 2020 While that gambit worked fairly well for the Academy Awards, there’s no guarantee that ditching a host will automatically perk up the show. — oregonlive, "Will Netflix invade the weirdly early 2020 Oscars?," 5 Feb. 2020 Sometimes, opening up the hips can even alleviate some overall tension and perk up your energy levels. — Lauren Bedosky, Health.com, "15 Hip Stretches Literally Every Body Will Benefit From," 13 Dec. 2019 Enjoy the upcoming holiday season and perk up your favorite dishes with some of the above fresh herbs that are available growing in containers on your windowsill. — Stan Davidson, sun-sentinel.com, "Grow herbs for holiday meals," 21 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The biggest perk of this grill is its precise electric temperature control, as temp can be hard to tame when grilling. — Popular Science, "Outdoor grills for cooking everything under the sun," 28 Apr. 2020 Favorite perk of the job: Traveling all around the world. 10. — Marie Claire, "'We're Here' Star Shangela Has Some Tips for Handling a Career Setback," 23 Apr. 2020 There’s perks to having this job and there’s downfalls. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "Nate Oats has message about ‘idiots’ online after daughter defends family," 10 Mar. 2020 The perk to chasing the highest savings rate is, of course, maximizing your interest earnings. — Washington Post, "Is chasing the highest savings rate worth it?," 30 Jan. 2020 Another perk: The extra year to work on a 5G device behind closed doors as other players like Samsung work out the early kinks in the spotlight. — Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, "The biggest thing Apple didn't announce at its iPhone event," 11 Sep. 2019 The perks? $250,000 for the winner, and (of course) bragging rights forever. — Eric Todisco, PEOPLE.com, "Bring the Funny's Matt Rife Falls for Chrissy Teigen — and She Hilariously Turns Him Down," 26 Aug. 2019 Another perk: a less pissed-off workforce, particularly, as Shake Shack points out, in the grueling restaurant industry. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "Should We All Be Working Four Days a Week?," 18 June 2019 The perks of living in a former religious institution range from the aesthetics to the memorable moments. — Carisa Crawford Chappell, chicagotribune.com, "As congregations shrink, Chicago churches see new life as homes, apartments and condos," 11 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near perk

perkin's purple

Perkin reaction

Statistics for perk

Last Updated

24 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Perk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perk. Accessed 31 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for perk

perk

noun

English Language Learners Definition of perk

: something extra that someone receives in addition to regular pay for doing a job

: a good thing that you have or get because of your situation

See the full definition for perk in the English Language Learners Dictionary

perk

\ ˈpərk

\

perked; perking

Kids Definition of perk

1 : to make or become more lively or cheerful I perked up when I heard the good news.

2 : to make fresher in appearance Let's perk the room up with fresh paint.

3 : to lift in a quick, alert, or bold way The dog perked its ears.

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