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perk

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perk¹

  • /pɜːk/ UK
  • /pɝk/ Canada, US
  • /pɜːk/ Australia
  • /pøːk/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k

Where it comes from

Clipping of perquisite.

noun perks · perq

  1. informal Perquisite. Free coffee is one of the perks of the job.
  2. A bonus ability that a player character can acquire; a permanent power-up.

perk²

  • /pɜːk/ UK
  • /pɝk/ Canada, US
  • /pɜːk/ Australia
  • /pøːk/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k

Where it comes from

Clipping of percolate (verb) and percolator (noun).

verb perks · perking · perked

  1. informal, transitive To make (coffee) in a percolator or a drip coffeemaker. I’ll perk some coffee.
  2. informal, intransitive Of coffee: to be produced by heated water seeping (“percolating”) through coffee grounds. The coffee is perking.

noun perks

  1. A percolator, particularly of coffee.

perk³

  • /pɜːk/ UK
  • /pɝk/ Canada, US
  • /pɜːk/ Australia
  • /pøːk/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k

Where it comes from

Origin uncertain. Perhaps a metathesis of prick.

verb perks · perking · perked

  1. transitive To make trim or smart; to straighten up; to erect; to make a jaunty or saucy display of. [the squirrel] whisks his brush And perks his ears, and stamps and scolds aloud
  2. intransitive To appear from below or behind something, emerge, pop up, poke out. The heads of plants above the crack’d ground perk:
  3. intransitive, obsolete To exalt oneself; to bear oneself loftily. 1574, Arthur Golding (translator), Sermons of Master John Calvin, upon the Booke of Job, London: Lucas Harison and George Byshop, Sermon 38, The first upon the tenth Chapter, For whereof commeth thys hypocrisie in the popedome, that men shall preache free will, merits, and satisfactions, and set vp

adjective more perk · most perk

  1. obsolete Smart; trim; spruce; jaunty; vain. My ragged rontes all shiver and shake, As doen high Towers in an earthquake: They wont in the wind wagge their wrigle tailes, Perke as Peacock: but nowe it auales.

perk⁴

  • /pɜːk/ UK
  • /pɝk/ Canada, US
  • /pɜːk/ Australia
  • /pøːk/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k

Where it comes from

The origin is uncertain. Perhaps a variant of peer + -k (frequentative ending).

verb perks · perking · perked

  1. dated To peer; to look narrowly, sharply, or inquisitively. He is a tall, thin, bony man, with an interrogative nose, and little restless perking eyes, which appear to have been given him for the sole purpose of peeping into other people’s affairs with.
  2. dialectal To examine thoroughly.

perk⁵

  • /pɜːk/ UK
  • /pɝk/ Canada, US
  • /pɜːk/ Australia
  • /pøːk/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k

Where it comes from

From Middle English perken, from Old Northern French perquer.

verb perks · perking · perked

  1. obsolete To perch. His seconde hawke wexyd gery And was with flyenge wery. She had flowyn so oft, That on the rode loft She perkyd her to rest.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: perquisite, fringe benefit, pick up, perk up, percolate, gain vigor, assist, freebie, help, benefit, advantage, bonus, payoff, edge, burke, benny

Translations

Every language

noun perquisite

Españolventaja, prebenda, gaje, emolumento, gratificación, obvención
中文津贴 jīntiē
Portuguêsbônus, privilégio
Françaisavantage
DeutschVorteil, Privileg, Vergünstigung, Extra, Dreingabe
Italianoprivilegio
Русскийпривилегия privilegija, льгота lʹgota, преимущество preimuščestvo

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MLA

"perk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/perk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

perk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/perk

Chicago

"perk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/perk.

BibTeX
@misc{perk_2026,
  title = {perk},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/perk},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}