perched
Americanadjective
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(of a bird) resting on a perch, such as a branch, telephone wire, or fence, or a rod specially designed for the purpose.
While hiking I caught sight of a perched owl near the trail.
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settled or resting in a relatively high position, like a bird on a perch.
The tour will stop for lunch in a perched village offering a splendid view of the entire French Riviera coastline.
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Geology. (of a boulder or block) left on the top of a hill, ridge, etc., by ice that melted after carrying it there.
As you continue hiking southeast, look out for the perched boulder overlooking a pond.
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Geology.
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(of a lake) having a surface level at an unusually high elevation, well above that of aquifers and other bodies of water in the area, because it has formed on a dense, hardened layer of sand mixed with organic matter that traps water on top of it.
Half of all the world’s known perched lakes are found on Australia’s Fraser Island.
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(of an aquifer) occurring above the regional water table, having been formed by an accumulation of groundwater that cannot permeate the underlying layer of clay or other dense soil.
Perched aquifers are sometimes good water sources, but they tend to be relatively small and easily depleted with overpumping.
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verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perched
First recorded in 1815–25; perch 1 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; perch 1 ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It'd all go to waste otherwise," he told AFP, while stirring a metre-radius metal pan perched atop a gas burner filled with ratatouille.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
By summer 1895, students were lobbing small balls into waste paper baskets perched upon poles on the lawn of a new Dartford talent factory: Madame Bergman Osterberg's Physical Training College.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
In Clacton, an aging resort town perched on England’s east coast, he comfortably won the last election in 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Which brings us to the lucha libre going down on Sunday night inside a concrete ring perched 7,300 feet above sea level in the smog and the noise of Mexico City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Two vinyl cushions perched on benches so you could even sleep there.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
