to perch
- verb
- /pɜrʧ/
- One of the teachers went out on the roof and there was Evan, perched on a ledge.
- perch on a branch
- perch on top
- perch precariously
It's got a big ass owl perched up on the edge to scare birds away.
- It's got a big ass owl perched up on the edge to scare birds away.
- The little Wren perched on my finger weighs almost nothing, just nails and beak.
- And instead of being the head of a bird, it looks like a bird that's now perching on a roost.
- An Amazonian tree frog perched on a branch with its big grin isn't thinking oh God, I was a terrible Amazonian tree frog yesterday.
- But we all want to kind of give it that head tilt and have it like perch up and and, and and sit.
- They stand perched at the edge of an opportunity to transform how people use computers.
- I kind of, though, feel like we've sort of sat back, perched back a little bit and seen a lot of the CES stuff from afar.
- The boy and me perched on the curb of this page calls back between blue sky popsicle licks.
- So you're standing, I'm perching, I'm leaning up against a bar stool with my feet on the ground.
Examples
-
As usual, old Mrs. Shiftlet was perched below on the landing in her wicker chair.
Fiction book (1990) -
I found the institute, now in its fourth year, perched high on a Burgundy hill.
Academic text (1996) -
But we all want to kind of give it that head tilt and have it like perch up and and, and and sit.
-
We got them from Dunelms and so me and Matt normally perch on these ones and the three kids sit over there.
-
Dig was pretty specific about where you should perch-- you know, what position gives you the best shot at Lawton.
-
And I sat there and I perched like a bird right up there on their toilet and gave it a shot.
-
Outside the office, Hallenbeck and Jimmy are perched side by side on a wooden bench.
Fiction book (1991) -
His house is improbably perched above a precipice.
-
"What's it like over there?" I asked, perching on the tall stool at the sink counter.
Fiction book (1991) -
The cat likes to perch on the windowsill to watch the birds outside.
Synonyms
To be in a particular place, like a building or statue
To put something on or against something so it stays steady
To put part of your body or an object on something for support
To come down and rest gently on a surface
To rest or sleep in a high place like a tree
To come down and land after flying, like a bird on a branch
To sit somewhere for a short time in a casual way
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To defeat the person or team at the top and take their place
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- US
A small silvery freshwater fish found in streams in eastern North America, often caught for food or sport
- US
A freshwater fish with a yellow body and dark stripes, caught for food and sport
- Indian
A small freshwater fish that can breathe air and move on land using its pointed fins
A fresh water fish with a green body and red fins found in Europe and northern Asia
A small bright fish from the Pacific coast of North America with shiny colorful scales
How Precarious
Surface Forms
Etymology
To perch (verb) is like a bird 'sitting' on a pole and comes from the noun for a 'pole' (pertica); that's why to perch means to sit or rest on a high, narrow, or precarious place.