perch
1a pole or rod, usually horizontal, serving as a roost for birds.
any place or object, as a sill, fence, branch, or twig, for a bird, animal, or person to alight or rest upon.
a high or elevated position, resting place, or the like.
a small, elevated seat for the driver of any of certain vehicles.
a pole connecting the fore and hind running parts of a spring carriage or other vehicle.
a post set up as a navigational aid on a navigational hazard or on a buoy.
British.
a linear or square rod.
a measure of volume for stone, about 24 cubic feet (0.7 cubic meters).
Textiles. an apparatus consisting of two vertical posts and a horizontal roller, used for inspecting cloth after it leaves the loom.
Obsolete. any pole, rod, or the like.
to alight or rest upon a perch.
to settle or rest in some elevated position, as if on a perch.
to set or place on or as if on a perch.
to inspect (cloth) for defects and blemishes after it has been taken from the loom and placed upon a perch.
Origin of perch
1Other words from perch
- perch·a·ble, adjective
Other definitions for perch (2 of 2)
any spiny-finned, freshwater food fish of the genus Perca, as P. flavescens(yellow perch ), of the U.S., or P. fluviatilis, of Europe.
any of various other related, spiny-finned fishes.
any of several embioticid fishes, as Hysterocarpus traski(tule perch ) of California.
Origin of perch
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use perch in a sentence
When he walked away from one of the most powerful perches in sportswriting, Bob was 33 years old.
They were so absorbed that they did not notice the girls, who dropped down quietly from their perches in the trees.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle | Laura Lee HopeWhy, he can take these little bears and have 'em turning somersaults, dancing, and climbing to their perches in no time.
David Lannarck, Midget | George S. HarneyA small and rather forlorn-looking clock perches over the doorway, and keeps time, when going, moderately well.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusWithin the fowl-house there must be perches put up for the fowls to roost on.
The Book of Sports: | William Martin
It perches on the tree-top, just like the full-grown bird in March, and sings almost for the whole morning.
The Sexual Life of the Child | Albert Moll
British Dictionary definitions for perch (1 of 2)
/ (pɜːtʃ) /
a pole, branch, or other resting place above ground on which a bird roosts or alights
a similar resting place for a person or thing
another name for rod (def. 7)
a solid measure for stone, usually taken as 198 inches by 18 inches by 12 inches
a pole joining the front and rear axles of a carriage
a frame on which cloth is placed for inspection
obsolete, or dialect a pole
(usually foll by on) to alight, rest, or cause to rest on or as if on a perch: the bird perched on the branch; the cap was perched on his head
(tr) to inspect (cloth) on a perch
Origin of perch
1Derived forms of perch
- percher, noun
British Dictionary definitions for perch (2 of 2)
/ (pɜːtʃ) /
any freshwater spiny-finned teleost fish of the family Percidae, esp those of the genus Perca, such as P. fluviatilis of Europe and P. flavescens (yellow perch) of North America: valued as food and game fishes
any of various similar or related fishes
Origin of perch
2Other words from perch
- Related adjective: percoid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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