PERCHING Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

perching

verb

present participle of perch

as in landing

to come to rest after descending from the air pigeons perching on the roof

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Verb

Upon landing in Samarkand on Sunday night, Rubio was warmly embraced by Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, Bakhtiyor Saidov, while two women clad in elaborate gold-and-black traditional dresses presented him with a bouquet.

— Reuters, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
Thomas Boyer Bryan, 18, exited a game after landing on his right shoulder when he was sacked during the opening drive, according to The Tennessean.

— Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 19 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

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

While Jio Platforms has been positioning itself as a tech company and not just a traditional utility provider, investors seem unconvinced.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Pinterest has spent years positioning itself as an early-warning system for what young consumers will want next.

— Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of positioning

Verb

Worthy settling in is an encouraging development for the Chiefs, especially with Rice potentially returning as soon as next week.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
By 1968, Mitchell moved to Los Angeles, settling in Laurel Canyon, which was becoming a hub for singer-songwriters including David Crosby, Graham Nash and others.

— Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of settling

Browse Nearby Words

perches

perching

percipience

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Perching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perching. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of perching

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes