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
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
The first sliver of light in the east revealed their movable aviary, a box of netted scaffolding the size of a barn, with a few dozen birds perched in silhouette, like hieroglyphs.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Nuñez, 52, was a rising star in Tallahassee before DeSantis picked her as his running mate in 2018, giving the four-term Florida House member a high profile perch in state politics for the next seven years.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
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Verb
Visiting the Vatican City masterpiece is not the same, Watts argues, as witnessing the artist perched on scaffolding in the act of creation.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
The first sliver of light in the east revealed their movable aviary, a box of netted scaffolding the size of a barn, with a few dozen birds perched in silhouette, like hieroglyphs.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Noun
My concern is that those hundreds of holes will be favorite perches and nesting places for birds.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Nuñez, 52, was a rising star in Tallahassee before DeSantis picked her as his running mate in 2018, giving the four-term Florida House member a high profile perch in state politics for the next seven years.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for perch
Dictionary Entries Near perch
Cite this Entry
“Perch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perch. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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)"
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