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)
Examples of perch in a Sentence
Verb
pigeons perching on the roof
perched the baby in a basket
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
The perch of a bicycle is an excellent way to get around, thanks to a fairly flat, car-free path.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Jenny Adams, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
Two seats for passengers in the back fold beneath the area where a casket would perch.
—Laura Lane, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perch
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Noun
That gigantic sail is needed to stabilize the fourth spacecraft in an unusually difficult orbit that gives it a closer perch to view the sun's activities.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
The perch of a bicycle is an excellent way to get around, thanks to a fairly flat, car-free path.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
Last year, moments included a violinist perched 15 feet in the air with a cascading 20-foot dress, a crew of mythic horsehead creatures, the Raven, the Jester, Cersei, and Arachnea.
—Jenny Adams, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
Two seats for passengers in the back fold beneath the area where a casket would perch.
—Laura Lane, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perch
Cite this Entry
“Perch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perch. Accessed 18 Oct. 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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