perry

[ per-ee ]

/ ˈpɛr i /

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noun, plural per·ries.

a fermented beverage similar to cider, made from the juice of pears.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of perry

1275–1325; Middle English pereye<Middle French perey, variant of pere ≪ Vulgar Latin *pirātum (Latin pir(a) pear + -ātum, neuter of -ātus-ate¹)

Words nearby perry

Perrin, Perrine, perron, Perronet, Perrot, perry, Perrysburg, Pers, persalt, per say, perse

Other definitions for perry (2 of 2)

Perry

[ per-ee ]

/ ˈpɛr i /

noun

Antoinette, 1888–1946, U.S. actress, theatrical manager, and producer.

Bliss, 1860–1954, U.S. educator, literary critic, and editor.

Frederick John "Fred", 1909–1995, British tennis player.

Matthew Cal·braith

[kal-breyth], /ˈkæl breɪθ/, 1794–1858, U.S. commodore.

his brother, Oliver Hazard, 1785–1819, U.S. naval officer.

Ralph Barton, 1876–1957, U.S. philosopher and educator.

a male given name: from a Middle English word meaning “pear tree.”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use perry in a sentence

Perry can receive 20 to 30 texts a day from students with questions.
How to raise rural enrollment in higher education? Go local.|Laura Pappano|December 4, 2020|Washington Post
A July Perry historical marker was unveiled in 2019, and a stretch of nearby highway named after him.
A Forgotten Election Day Massacre in Florida That Still Haunts Today|Sean Braswell|October 23, 2020|Ozy
Among the names on the list was Bleyzer, Perry’s old friend from Houston.
Rick Perry’s Ukrainian Dream|by Simon Shuster, TIME, and Ilya Marritz, WNYC|September 10, 2020|ProPublica
Perry, however, isn’t a fan of these, as your dog could pull and injure you.
The right way to walk your dog|John Kennedy|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science

Everybody thought Mathews’ “life would be derailed” if Perry moved in.
Learning to parent your parent|Terri Schlichenmeyer|August 21, 2020|Washington Blade
He has picked pre-primary brawls with Christie, Perry, and Marco Rubio.
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign|Olivia Nuzzi|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Of course, Kim Jong-Un takes an image hit as a Katy Perry-obsessed, margarita-drinking maniac with daddy issues.
I Was Honeydicked Into Spending Christmas with ‘The Interview’|Allison McNearney|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Perry" chimed in: "They don't want to take blame," he said of the police union attacking De Blasio.
Justice League Vigil for Slain NYPD Officers Asks Whose Life Matters|Olivia Nuzzi|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hirst and Perry too have courted their fair share of controversy.
Has the Turner Prize Gone Soft?|David Levesley|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And after the Driscoll story broke, another megapastor, Perry Noble, admitted to using ResultSource on one of his book projects.
How the Religious Right Scams Its Way Onto the New York Times Bestseller List|Warren Throckmorton|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"You have give a limb," repeated Perry, emphasizing the announcement by shaking his finger at the old man.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Perry's arms fell gracefully to his side and he inclined his head and half closed his eyes in acknowledgment.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
So it came that I struggled to my crutches and broke rudely in on Perry Thomas's peroration.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Tim says more by the vigor of his smoking than Perry Thomas could express in a year's oration.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
"Perry Thomas guessed he was an embezzler," said Tim, putting the last dish in the cupboard and sitting down to his pipe.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

British Dictionary definitions for perry (1 of 2)

perry

/ (ˈpɛrɪ) /

noun plural -ries

alcoholic drink made of pears, similar in taste to cider

Word Origin for perry

C14 pereye, from Old French peré, ultimately from Latin pirum pear

British Dictionary definitions for perry (2 of 2)

Perry

/ (ˈpɛrɪ) /

noun

Fred (erick John). 1909–95, English tennis and table-tennis player; world singles table-tennis champion (1929); as a tennis player he won eight Grand Slam singles titles including the US Open three times (1933–34, 1936) and Wimbledon three times (1934–36)

Grayson . born 1960, English potter, embroiderer, and film-maker; won the Turner Prize (2003).

Matthew Calbraith. 1794–1858, US naval officer, who led a naval expedition to Japan that obtained a treaty (1854) opening up Japan to western trade

his brother, Oliver Hazard. 1785–1819, US naval officer. His defeat of a British squadron on Lake Erie (1813) was the turning point in the War of 1812, leading to the recapture of Detroit

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