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Glite Dictionary
to perch at

to perch at

1 6.4
To sit somewhere for a short time in a casual way
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : posarse en
  • The cat sat perched at the edge of the windowsill, watching the birds outside.
  • perched at the edge
  • perched at a table
  • perched at the end

Examples

  • Warren Speca's tiny yellow house is perched at the edge of one of the remaining canals.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • A panhandler is perched at the entrance.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "My mother braces for the worst, her hand perched at her mouth.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • I am perched at an angle on Donnato's desk so I don't have to look at the picture of him and his wife.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Releasing a laugh, he ran across the broad rooftop to the belfry perched at its center.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • She perched at the far end of the bench, her hands twisted tightly in her lap.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Especially when I can perch at the top of a ski run and look out over the Cascades, or be wrapped in a heavy snowfall and look over at the next run and see ghostly shadows winding in and out of the trees.

    Blog text (4)

  • It is told by the elder folk that once upon a time, a beautiful goddess lived high in the icy Achaean Mountains, perched at the peak of the towering mass known as Mount Arebus.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She seemed to feel comfortable perched at the high stool in the café, sipping her coffee.

  • He was perched at the corner of the table, casually observing the lively conversation.

Synonyms

to sit
vsto perch at
∞ 1.0

To be in a particular place, like a building or statue

is a casual or unsteady act of being positioned in a place
to perch
vsto perch at
67 4.4

To sit or put something on a high narrow place

sits at a place in a casual or unsteady way
to roost
vsto perch at
16 4.2

To rest or sleep in a high place like a tree

settles briefly and casually rather than for long rest
to alight
vsto perch at
2 6.6

To come down and land after flying, like a bird on a branch

settles casually at a place rather than after movement

Antonyms

to leave
∞ 1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

How Unsteady

to teeter
32 5.7
to perch at
  • Informal
1 6.4
to sit
∞ 1.0
to settle
540 2.8

Surface Forms

perch at infinitive
perched at past
perched at past participle
perching at present participle
perches at third person singular

Morphology

perch + at

The verb 'perch' already means to sit or rest, often on a raised or precarious spot, and the preposition 'at' indicates location; combining them yields 'sit/settle at a particular place', which is directly derivable from the constituents. The nuance of a casual or unsteady posture is also signaled by 'perch' and is therefore accessible to a B1 learner who knows the component words.

Etymology

Perch at comes from the image of a bird sitting lightly on a branch: the bird perches at one spot for a short time. So, to perch at a café or a corner means 'to sit' or 'settle' there casually or only for a little while.