perk
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to become lively, cheerful, or vigorous, as after depression or sickness (usually followed byup ).
The patients all perked up when we played the piano for them.
-
to act, or carry oneself, in a jaunty manner.
-
to put oneself forward briskly or presumptuously.
verb (used with object)
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to make smart, trim, or jaunty (sometimes followed by up orout ).
to perk up a suit with a new white blouse.
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to raise smartly or briskly (often followed by up orout ).
to perk one's head up.
adjective
verb (used with or without object)
noun
adjective
verb
verb
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(intr) (of coffee) to percolate
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(tr) to percolate (coffee)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of perk1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perken “(of a bird) to perch on a tree”; akin to perch 1
Origin of perk2
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; by shortening and respelling
Origin of perk3
First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening and respelling
Explanation
A perk is something extra you get, in addition to a salary, in exchange for working. The major perk of your job at an ice cream shop might be all the hot fudge sundaes you can eat. Some fairly common job perks include health insurance, free gym memberships, and company cars. You can also talk about the perks, or benefits, of a situation: "I have to ride to school with my annoying neighbor, but the perk is she always brings donuts." As a verb, perk means "to become more energetic or cheerful." So that donut perk? It might be just the thing to perk you up on a Monday morning.
Vocabulary lists containing perk
"Where I'm From"
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Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The executive dining room remains a disclosed perk at a few companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Hopping aboard the company jet for a personal trip is an enviable and often costly perk, one enjoyed by around 700 executives at about 400 companies, with an average annual cost exceeding $160,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
“When a cluster is big enough everybody’s ears perk up, communication starts,” and multiple avenues of investigation begin, Stevens said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
It launched the caregiver-leave benefit and bolstered the perk with training for managers to help them work with direct reports who are caring for a loved one.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Besides, the one perk of moving around so much is that I don’t stay anywhere long enough to catch feelings.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
The Wall Street Journal analyzed perks disclosed in the most recent annual filings from 1,500 of the largest U.S. public companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Security topped the perks list by a large margin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Some of the perks were surprisingly small, such as $492 to cover “backup home generator maintenance” for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s CEO, Antonio Neri, whose total compensation was $23.5 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Other perks are resonating, as well, with the Amex customer base.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
With the mention of food, my mom perks up.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
