1
as in landing
to come to rest after descending from the air
pigeons perching on the roof
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nestling
to establish or place comfortably or snugly
perched the baby in a basket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perching
The rehabilitation team was worried about his hallux, or rear-facing toe, which eagles need for grabbing prey and perching.
—
Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Birds need a complete habitat that includes food, shelter, nesting areas and perching spots.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The department recommends staggering bloom times to make sure hummingbirds have a food source for the entire season, as well as providing a source of water and trees or tall shrubs for nesting and perching.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 24 Feb. 2026
In 2025, there was the Owl Arm Trend, in which Gen Z TikTokers contorted their bodies (and stretched their T-shirts) to mimic the shape of a perching owl, clinging to their friend’s arm.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Other photos show it while perching on the plant.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
TikTok users were able to see two cats perching over a bathroom sink, which had been filled with tap water.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
In the case of turkeys, perching in the trees could signal snowfall, folklore says.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2025
The gains in efficiency are offset by the loss in precision and by the costs of takeoff and landing, just as in the case of a perching robot.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2016
Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Birds need a complete habitat that includes food, shelter, nesting areas and perching spots.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The department recommends staggering bloom times to make sure hummingbirds have a food source for the entire season, as well as providing a source of water and trees or tall shrubs for nesting and perching.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 24 Feb. 2026
In 2025, there was the Owl Arm Trend, in which Gen Z TikTokers contorted their bodies (and stretched their T-shirts) to mimic the shape of a perching owl, clinging to their friend’s arm.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Other photos show it while perching on the plant.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
TikTok users were able to see two cats perching over a bathroom sink, which had been filled with tap water.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
In the case of turkeys, perching in the trees could signal snowfall, folklore says.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2025
The gains in efficiency are offset by the loss in precision and by the costs of takeoff and landing, just as in the case of a perching robot.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perching
Verb
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For Roseman, the value of landing a top-15 player in the first round trumped the extra dart throws in the fourth round.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The pair collided with such force that Dumoulin got knocked up about two feet in the air before landing hard on his padded backside.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Order the Bonsai 405 and a little tree is carried over nestling a glass of Becherovka, a herby local digestif, mixed with Thai basil and Champagne.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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The metal tip was nestling against the uppermost layer of his nail.—
Kate Crane,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and Monterey cypress trees are common homes for roosting monarchs, as those tree species provide adequate shelter from weather and predators.—
Chelsee Lowe,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
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The county said construction for the park would not take place within 200 feet of roosting sites for the bat, but provided no evidence to support that as a proper buffer, adding another inadequacy to the environmental review, Bacal said.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Those vessels were apparently Indian, with New Delhi lodging a complaint with Tehran.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
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Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Vietnam, with lodging for as little as $15 a night and inexpensive local cuisine.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Just as the sun prepared to sink beyond the escarpments, its rays struck every piece of the fractured glass resting on top of the window frames, alighting all of them at once, as if they were shot with electricity.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
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Images showed Kim in a black jacket, alighting a mobile missile launcher near the main stage as thousands of people waved small North Korean flags.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The bigger picture By shaping programming around a global event rather than waiting for visitors to stumble in, the museum is positioning itself as an active part of Kansas City’s World Cup experience.—
Taylor Haught,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
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In an interview with Connect the World, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei cast the move in terms of positioning the country as a leading producer at a time of growing concern about rising oil prices and tighter supply.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Try to keep parking clear in front of your home so that workers are less likely to park elsewhere.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Baltimore sues pharmaceutical companies In 208, Baltimore sued several drug makers and pharmaceutical companies, often settling before reaching a trial.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
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Notify creditors and allow time for claims to be filed before settling debts.—
Nancy Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perching. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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