perk
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to become lively, cheerful, or vigorous, as after depression or sickness (usually followed byup ).
The patients all perked up when we played the piano for them.
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to act, or carry oneself, in a jaunty manner.
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to put oneself forward briskly or presumptuously.
verb (used with object)
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to make smart, trim, or jaunty (sometimes followed by up orout ).
to perk up a suit with a new white blouse.
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to raise smartly or briskly (often followed by up orout ).
to perk one's head up.
adjective
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
perks
plural
adjective
verb
verb
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(intr) (of coffee) to percolate
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(tr) to percolate (coffee)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of perk1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perken “(of a bird) to perch on a tree”; akin to perch 1
Origin of perk2
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; by shortening and respelling
Origin of perk3
First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening and respelling
Explanation
A perk is something extra you get, in addition to a salary, in exchange for working. The major perk of your job at an ice cream shop might be all the hot fudge sundaes you can eat. Some fairly common job perks include health insurance, free gym memberships, and company cars. You can also talk about the perks, or benefits, of a situation: "I have to ride to school with my annoying neighbor, but the perk is she always brings donuts." As a verb, perk means "to become more energetic or cheerful." So that donut perk? It might be just the thing to perk you up on a Monday morning.
Vocabulary lists containing perk
"Where I'm From"
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Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 5
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poems about voices of modern culture
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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.
See Examples For:
Amazon will provide free Uber Eats delivery as a perk of its Prime membership as competition in food delivery heats up, Kelly Cloonan writes for The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
The climate-controlled garage is a major perk in the Arizona heat, and has room for four cars.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
There are insurance products that offer inflation protection, such as annuities, but retirees have to pay for the perk, she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
The airline announced Thursday that it plans to expand its rollout of Starlink internet to its entire mainline fleet, embracing the fast wi-fi that has become a popular passenger perk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
She wished, too, that she was not so interested in this new restaurant, did not perk up, imagining fresh green salads and steamed still-firm vegetables.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
To keep them coming, many companies are courting women like Cossairt through new benefits and perks, including paid maternity leave and more flexibility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Is home-working under threat from the perks of office life?
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Banks have also been tightening up rules for customers who might try to milk perks in less aggressive ways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Some pointed out perks of the pastorate, such as parsonages and gas allowances.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026
The perks that came with friends high up in the Communist Party hierarchy never materialized.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
