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
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Bats flicker above the gravel, a statuelike owl perches on a bare roadside limb.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Sep. 2025
Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Here, a tall cylindrical vase is filled to the top with basic white pumpkins and perched atop a dining room buffet for an eye-catching fall display.
—Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perch
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Noun
Both were a byword, too, for male beauty, fully alive to the almost laughable impact of their handsomeness, yet ill at ease, now and then, with their perches on the pedestal.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Bats flicker above the gravel, a statuelike owl perches on a bare roadside limb.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
The set features traditional imagery, including fruit and evergreens, a holly wreath, two cardinals perched on mistletoe and a scarlet amaryllis bouquet—all designed using a collage method.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Here, a tall cylindrical vase is filled to the top with basic white pumpkins and perched atop a dining room buffet for an eye-catching fall display.
—Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 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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