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
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 1 July 2024
Families and date-night couples both sat and milled about, some perched at the expansive bar where fruity cocktails were apparently popular.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2024
Two signs bearing the KQED name are perched atop the office tower, one facing roughly west and the other facing east.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 27 June 2024
They are perched at 7,867 feet and nestled between the Wet Mountain and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges.
—Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for perch 
Verb
Machu Picchu perched in the mountains, the bustling empire capital of Cusco, and a network of roads from village to village were engineering feats of their time.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 1 July 2024
Families and date-night couples both sat and milled about, some perched at the expansive bar where fruity cocktails were apparently popular.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2024
Two signs bearing the KQED name are perched atop the office tower, one facing roughly west and the other facing east.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 27 June 2024
They are perched at 7,867 feet and nestled between the Wet Mountain and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges.
—Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for perch
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 Jul. 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)"
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