Showing results for "perched"

• past participle of perch.
• past tense form of perch.

perched

American  

[purcht] / pɜrtʃt /

adjective

1. (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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Geology.

   1. (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.

   2. (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

1. the simple past tense and past participle of perch.

Other Word Forms

• unperched
  adjective

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

See Examples For:

perched

A tavern’s open door to my right revealed a line of patrons perched atop barstools, their backs to the open door, watching a TV showing the eclipse nearing totality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Jackie and her mate, Shadow, were propelled to celebrity status through a livestream of their nest perched high up in a pine tree overlooking Big Bear Lake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

One person sits in concentrated silence at each window, another perched in the back of the pick-up truck, ducking for the occasional limb branching from trees which rise around us.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

This summer, people are looking askance at the lettuce leaves perched atop their burgers and the berries swimming in their ice tea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

She kicked off her shoes, perched on the wobbly stool, and placed everything on the countertop.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• alight
• squat
• touch down