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
Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 30 Dec. 2025
The ship’s open bridge allows guests to come and go, offering a prime perch for wildlife spotting.
—Kristen E. Pope, Travel + Leisure, 29 Dec. 2025
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2025
Sondheim also collected antique board games; his first acquisition, a gift, was a nineteenth-century amusement called the New and Fashionable Game of the Jew, which featured an antisemitic caricature perched over gold coins.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perch
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Noun
The spot combines that classic MFG pizzazz with a Lake Como–style grandeur, an ideal combo for its perch within the Bellagio.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 30 Dec. 2025
The ship’s open bridge allows guests to come and go, offering a prime perch for wildlife spotting.
—Kristen E. Pope, Travel + Leisure, 29 Dec. 2025
Verb
Go Stand Up Paddle Boarding Take advantage of New Bern’s coastal locale by renting a standup paddle board from Banx Watersports, which is perched on the water’s edge.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2025
Sondheim also collected antique board games; his first acquisition, a gift, was a nineteenth-century amusement called the New and Fashionable Game of the Jew, which featured an antisemitic caricature perched over gold coins.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 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 31 Dec. 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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