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
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
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
-
Launching a plane into space and then landing it on a runway with all the crew remaining in there still feels technologically impressive.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The Artemis 2 astronauts — NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen — are the first people to cross the lunar threshold since December 1972, when the three-person Apollo 17 moon-landing mission did so.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The metal tip was nestling against the uppermost layer of his nail.—
Kate Crane,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Cottagecore cozy wouldn’t be complete without a quilt, and this one from Brooklinen is on par to nestling into a cotton candy cloud.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
4 Mar. 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
-
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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The people were lodging complaints about the government's intensifying crackdown on the internet that has seen regular shutdowns of cellphone internet connections, blocked popular messaging apps and cut access to thousands of other websites and digital services.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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But House Democrats say their removal from committee doesn't go far enough, lodging an ethics complaint against Engen and Hudson after a photo taken hours before the arrest showing the pair eating lunch and drinking at a restaurant nearby before returning to the Capitol for floor debate afterwards.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
In antiquity, technology was literally demonized, so there was no stigma in positioning oneself against it.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Fresh, meanwhile, has ascended to the pantheon of legendary New Orleans producers, positioning himself as the 21st century Allen Toussaint.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
But nobody seemed bothered Saturday night by the new stadium’s location, or by the work left to be done finishing it, or by the long delay realizing this night, or even by settling for a draw.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Joan asked, settling in beside them with a glass of white wine.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perching. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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