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
Plum Sykes, Vogue, 2 May 2024
On a hot and humid night in Vietnam, a scaly creature perched on a rock in the middle of a forest.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
In the April 16 video, two small cubs were seen perched on branches of a tree near an Asheville apartment complex.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 1 May 2024
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
The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
And an elegant mansion set behind gates on an elevated perch above winding Hampton Road, listed for $14.5 million with Ann Newton Cane and Michael Dreyfus of Sotheby’s International Realty, epitomizes the gracious lifestyle Piedmont offers its almost 12,000 residents today.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 2 May 2024
Hammond Marina called attention to Lara’s jumbo perch in a Facebook post that was shared just after noon on April 20.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2024
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
Verb
Our house perches on the edge of a bucolic valley, its pastures divided by ancient dry-stone walls and hawthorn hedges.
—Plum Sykes, Vogue, 2 May 2024
On a hot and humid night in Vietnam, a scaly creature perched on a rock in the middle of a forest.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
In the April 16 video, two small cubs were seen perched on branches of a tree near an Asheville apartment complex.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 1 May 2024
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
Noun
She is also fascinated by birds and loves to birdwatch through the window from her perch on the very top of the cat tree.
—The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
And an elegant mansion set behind gates on an elevated perch above winding Hampton Road, listed for $14.5 million with Ann Newton Cane and Michael Dreyfus of Sotheby’s International Realty, epitomizes the gracious lifestyle Piedmont offers its almost 12,000 residents today.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 2 May 2024
Hammond Marina called attention to Lara’s jumbo perch in a Facebook post that was shared just after noon on April 20.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2024
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
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 7 May. 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)"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share