perching

verb

present participle of perch
1
as in landing
to come to rest after descending from the air pigeons perching on the roof

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nestling
to establish or place comfortably or snugly perched the baby in a basket

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of perching No club have spent more time perching on the highest rung of English football than Everton. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026 There was a time, the woman said, when rolling down the road meant perching on her husband’s back seat. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 The Ice Dart belongs to a broader push in robotics called perching, an approach borrowed from nature that tries to give drones the ability to grab onto surfaces the way birds, insects, and geckos do. — New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026 Birdwatchers said Kaydee and Shadow have been flying around together for the past couple of days, flying to different trees and sometimes perching themselves on different branches for hours. — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 The space is pristine and remote, surrounded by woods and loons and big muscular-looking boulders for perching on and thinking deep thoughts. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026 Blue dashers perch on short reeds and grasses to wait for prey, but each species of perching dragonfly has its own preference for perch height and type. — Rachel Sargent Mirus, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026 Sandy was spotted later in the day perching on top of a sugar pine tree. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 Under New York law, climbing a traffic-light pole or perching on its crossbars is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perching
  1. landing
  2. nestling
  3. roosting
  4. lodging
  5. alighting
  6. positioning
  7. parking
  8. settling
Verb
  • The car then rolled over, landing upright in a ditch alongside the road.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Barranquilla is one of two Colombian cities where JetBlue is landing in October.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of landing
Verb
  • Add a striking focal point by nestling a statue fountain between groups of colorful flowers or lively foliage.
    — Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Game by game, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is nestling himself into historical statistical company alongside some of the most vaunted NBA names ever.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Definition of nestling
Verb
  • With the construction of homes, stadiums and other buildings throughout the county, bats have adapted to roosting in spaces such as the eaves of homes or in crawl spaces, Curti said.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Though monarchs migrate alone, they are often seen huddled in trees roosting.
    — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of roosting
Verb
  • That officer then shot into Perez's vehicle, lodging a bullet in his back, officials say.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • That officer then shot into Perez’s vehicle, lodging a bullet in his back, officials say.
    — Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of lodging
Verb
  • Their gaze is increasingly alighting on Europe, the world’s second-largest consumer market.
    — JONAS NAHM, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
  • This shimmering, sonorous work, from one of our greatest living directors, moves through the peculiar landscapes of human interaction with certainty, eccentricity and grace, alighting on a generous if rueful conclusion.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of alighting
Verb
  • As commercial orbital platforms emerge, Outpost is positioning sample and product return as a core service for companies that need both access to space and analysis on Earth.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Less known is a separate but related oceanographic feature that is quickly positioning itself as one of — if not the — major disruptive weather events of the season.
    — Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of positioning
Verb
  • Try to keep parking clear in front of your home so that workers are less likely to park elsewhere.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Definition of parking
Verb
  • Likewise, tipping can make settling up uncomfortable when dining out with friends.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The company has faced a wave of lawsuits about child safety and data security, most recently settling a major federal case involving a group of state attorneys general for nearly $17 billion.
    — Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of settling

Browse Nearby Words

perches
perching
percipience
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Cite this Entry

“Perching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perching. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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