perching

Verb

perch (third-person singular simple present perches, present participle perching, simple past and past participle perched)

1. (intransitive) To rest on a perch (especially, of a bird); to roost.
   • The macaw perched on Jim's shoulder.
2. (intransitive) To sit upon the edge of something.
   • The platform was already crowded, but the newcomers threaded their way to the front amid a decorous murmur of welcome. Mr. Peeble shoved and exhorted and two end seats emerged upon which Enid and Malone perched themselves.1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Which Describes an Evening in Strange Company”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019
3. (intransitive) To stay in an elevated position.
4. (transitive) To place something on (or as if on) a perch.
   • The most obvious beneficiary of the visitors' superiority was Frank Lampard. By the end of the night he was perched 13th in the list of England's most prolific goalscorers, having leapfrogged Sir Geoff Hurst to score his 24th and 25th international goals. No other player has managed more than the...2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian
5. (intransitive, transitive) To inspect cloth using a perch.

See all 23 meanings of perch