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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perching
Verb
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Did that person have trouble functioning in their daily life or need to try multiple drugs before landing on one that worked?—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Skating last, Kim delivered another exquisite program, landing six triples and making no obvious errors.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Cocksuckers, Chuky mumbled, cradling the bottle atop his belly, nestling its spout in his shiny cleavage.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Forget last-gasp 30-yard thunderbolts nestling in the top corner.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 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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This transformation of the former One Ocean Resort & Spa will bring a stylish new oceanfront lodging option to the Jacksonville area.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, spending at airlines and lodging more generally was up 3% and 5%, respectively, during the quarter, showing that the richest cardmembers are driving results.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The colors are richly saturated, and when something catches Ryan’s eye—say, a bee alighting on a wildflower—the images shimmer with an almost radioactive intensity.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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Say each word was a bird—alighting briefly, out of reach and then gone again.—
Leila Chatti
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The party publicized them as China is positioning itself as a more reliable economic and political partner than the US – and starting to see results.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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The company is positioning itself to deliver interactive entertainment formats tailored for digital-native audiences.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Feb. 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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The bidding started at $25,000 and blew past last year’s purchase of $375,000 in less than three minutes before settling at that record-breaking $550,000.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
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The city’s Hadhramis are descendants of the emigrants from Yemen’s Hadhramout region who began settling in Johor in the 1800s.—
Jeff Chu,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perching. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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