perch

[ purch ]

/ pɜrtʃ /

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See synonyms for: perch / perched / perches on Thesaurus.com

noun

a 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.

verb (used without object)

to alight or rest upon a perch.

to settle or rest in some elevated position, as if on a perch.

verb (used with object)

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.

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Origin of perch

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English perche, perdge, preche, from Old French, from Latin pertica “pole, staff, measuring rod”

OTHER WORDS FROM perch

perch·a·ble, adjectiveun·perched, adjective

Words nearby perch

perceptive, perceptual, perceptual defence, perceptual mapping, Perceval, perch, perchance, Perche, percher, Percheron, perchery

Other definitions for perch (2 of 2)

perch²

[ purch ]

/ pɜrtʃ /

noun, plural (especially collectively) perch, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) perch·es.

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

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perche, from Middle French, from Latin perca, from Greek pérkē, feminine of adjective pérkos “having dark spots, spotted, speckled”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use perch in a sentence

As the water rises, it sweeps away anything that wasn’t able to get such a safe and sturdy perch.
How the truth was murdered|Abby Ohlheiser|October 7, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Hong Kong has long occupied an enviable perch as a bridge between markets in China and the West.
Is Hong Kong still a bridge between East and West? HKEX chair Cha describes ‘a ‘difficult situation’|Jeff|September 30, 2020|Fortune
From our human perch we marvel at what we think a plant’s life consists of—growing.
Junk Food Is Bad For Plants, Too - Issue 90: Something Green|Anne Biklé & David R. Montgomery|September 23, 2020|Nautilus
One of America’s most prominent business journalists for his perch at the New York Times and CNBC’s Squawk Box, Sorkin says the essential workers who are getting the country through the crisis are a stark reminder of who we all rely on.
How CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin Would Close the Wealth Gap|Eromo Egbejule|August 26, 2020|Ozy

The salmon, perch, and taco salad are all excellent plus it is very LGBTQ friendly.
Saugatuck-Douglas is open and better than ever|Bill Malcolm|August 15, 2020|Washington Blade
Often Mick would perch on those back stairs, perusing art books as he waited for her.
The Bookstore That Bewitched Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Greta Garbo|Felice Picano|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I crossed the room with my rifle up, stood on top of the bed, and from my perch looked down at bin Laden.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Luckily for Goodell, he'll have plenty of money if he were to be forced off the commissioner's perch.
Roger Goodell’s TV Disaster Shows What’s Wrong With The NFL|Lloyd Grove|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jack Welch, who took over General Electric in 1981, left his perch in 2001, not long after he turned 65.
Don’t Count Rupert Murdoch Out Yet: Why The Magnate Hasn’t Given Up on Time Warner|Daniel Gross|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Day after day, Lou sat on the Yankee bench, a perch that increasingly represented his security.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address|Ray Robinson|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Crow was rocking back and forth on his perch, for a joke—on anybody except himself—always delighted him.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
I think the coulée right under his perch is an arm of the one we're in; runs in somewhere below.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Mebby I'll perch on top o' the court-house, too, fer a spell, an' take a leetle fly out by the Injun school.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Dorothy descended from her lofty perch on the stool, and met the red gleaming eyes of Pincher intently watching all her movements.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
Isabel gratefully climbed to his high perch, after stating that she had no money, and being royally silenced.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for perch (1 of 2)

perch¹

/ (pɜːtʃ) /

noun

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

verb

(usually foll by on) to alight, rest, or cause to rest on or as if on a perchthe bird perched on the branch; the cap was perched on his head

(tr) to inspect (cloth) on a perch

Derived forms of perch

percher, noun

Word Origin for perch

C13 perche stake, from Old French, from Latin pertica long staff

British Dictionary definitions for perch (2 of 2)

perch²

/ (pɜːtʃ) /

noun plural perch or perches

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

Other words from perch

Related adjective: percoid

Word Origin for perch

C13: from Old French perche, from Latin perca, from Greek perkē; compare Greek perkos spotted

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

perch

Origin of perch

OTHER WORDS FROM perch

Words nearby perch

Other definitions for perch (2 of 2)

Origin of perch

Words related to perch

How to use perch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for perch (1 of 2)

Derived forms of perch

Word Origin for perch

British Dictionary definitions for perch (2 of 2)

Other words from perch

Word Origin for perch