1. To sit, stand, or rest on a relatively high or narrow support.
2. A freshwater fish with a spiny dorsal fin, or a related fish commonly bearing this name.
3. An older measure of length, area, or volume whose value depends on the context.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- perch on a ledge
- perch on a stool
On the page
She perched on the stool beside the window.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- perch
- Past tense
- perched
- Past participle
- perched
- Present participle
- perching
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- perch
- Present continuous
- am/is/are perching
- Present perfect
- have/has perched
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been perching
- Past
- perched
- Past continuous
- was/were perching
- Past perfect
- had perched
- Past perfect continuous
- had been perching
- Future
- will perch
- Future continuous
- will be perching
- Future perfect
- will have perched
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been perching
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: perch; perches; perched; perched; perching. Noun singular perch; plural perch or perches.. Noun singular perch; plural perch or perches. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: perches.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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