perch

verb

/pɜːtʃ/

/pɜːrtʃ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they perch	/pɜːtʃ/ /pɜːrtʃ/
he / she / it perches	/ˈpɜːtʃɪz/ /ˈpɜːrtʃɪz/
past simple perched	/pɜːtʃt/ /pɜːrtʃt/
past participle perched	/pɜːtʃt/ /pɜːrtʃt/
-ing form perching	/ˈpɜːtʃɪŋ/ /ˈpɜːrtʃɪŋ/

jump to other results

[intransitive] perch (on something) (of a bird) to land and stay on a branch, etc.
- A robin was perching on the fence.
Extra Examples
- The birds perched on nearby buildings.
- A robin flew down and perched on the fence.
- They found the parrot perched in a tree.
Topics Birdsc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- precariously
preposition
- on
phrases
- be perched high above something
- be perched high on something
- be perched on the edge of something
- …
See full entry
[intransitive, transitive] (informal) to sit or to make somebody sit on something, especially on the edge of it
- perch (on something) We perched on a couple of high stools at the bar.
- perch somebody/yourself (on something) She perched herself on the edge of the bed.
- My father used to perch me on the front of his bike.
Synonyms sit
sit
- sit down
- be seated
- take a seat
- perch
These words all mean to rest your weight on your bottom with your back straight, for example on a chair.
- sit to rest your weight on your bottom with your back straight, for example on a chair:
  May I sit here?
  Sit still, will you!
  Sit is usually used with an adverb or prepositional phrase to show where or how somebody sits, but sometimes another phrase or clause is used to show what somebody does while they are sitting: We sat talking for hours.
- sit down/sit yourself down to move from a standing position to a sitting position:
  Please sit down.
  Come in and sit yourselves down.
- be seated (formal) to be sitting:
  She was seated at the head of the table.
  Be seated is often used as a formal way of inviting somebody to sit down: Please be seated.
- take a seat to sit down Take a seat is used especially as a polite way of inviting somebody to sit down: Please take a seat.
- perch (rather informal) to sit on something, especially on the edge of something:
  She perched herself on the edge of the bed.
  Perch is always used with an adverb or prepositional phrase to show where somebody is perching.
Patterns
- to sit/sit down/be seated/take a seat/perch on something
- to sit/sit down/be seated/take a seat in something
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- precariously
preposition
- on
phrases
- be perched high above something
- be perched high on something
- be perched on the edge of something
- …
See full entry
[intransitive]
(also be perched [transitive])
to be placed on the top or the edge of something
- + adv./prep. The hotel perched precariously on a steep hillside.
- be perched + adv./prep. The castle is perched high above the valley.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- precariously
preposition
- on
phrases
- be perched high above something
- be perched high on something
- be perched on the edge of something
- …
See full entry

Word Originverb late Middle English: the noun from perch ‘a measure of length’(from Old French perche, from Latin pertica ‘measuring rod, pole’); the verb from Old French percher.

perch

noun

/pɜːtʃ/

/pɜːrtʃ/

Idioms

jump to other results

a place where a bird rests, especially a branch or bar for this purpose, for example in a bird’s cage
a high seat or position
- He watched the game from his precarious perch on top of the wall.
(plural perch)
a freshwater fish that is sometimes used for foodTopics Fish and shellfishc2

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English: the noun from perch ‘a measure of length’(from Old French perche, from Latin pertica ‘measuring rod, pole’); the verb from Old French percher. noun sense 3 late Middle English: from Old French perche, via Latin from Greek perkē.

Idioms

knock somebody off their pedestal/perch

to make somebody lose their position as somebody/something successful or admired
- A lot of teams are looking to knock us off our perch.
Topics Difficulty and failurec2