peck
1to strike or indent with the beak, as a bird does, or with some pointed instrument, especially with quick, repeated movements.
to make (a hole, puncture, etc.) by such strokes; pierce.
to take (food) bit by bit, with or as with the beak.
to make strokes with the beak or a pointed instrument.
a quick stroke, as in pecking.
a hole or mark made by or as by pecking.
peck at,
to nibble indifferently or unenthusiastically at (food).
to nag or carp at: Stop pecking at me, I'm doing the best I can.
Origin of peck
1Other words for peck
| 10a | pick at, poke at |
Other words from peck
- un·pecked, adjective
Other definitions for peck (2 of 3)
a dry measure of 8 quarts; the fourth part of a bushel, equal to 537.6 cubic inches (8.81 liters).
a container for measuring this quantity. Abbreviation: pk, pk.
a considerable quantity: a peck of trouble.
Origin of peck
2Words that may be confused with peck
- pecks , pecs
Other definitions for Peck (3 of 3)
Annie Smith, 1850–1935, U.S. mountain climber.
Gregory, 1916–2003, U.S. actor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use peck in a sentence
“Vicious pecking, avian hysteria, mysterious deaths, and even cannibalism” are the results, he writes.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity | William O’Connor | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe pecking order of democracy is reduced to this: When the president wants to go, he gets to go.
Behind the Scenes With a ‘Site Agent’: The Secret Service’s Hardest Job | Marc Ambinder | October 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBuzzards are all flying around pecking at them, and there are insects and flies, and you can see blood on the ground.
Aporkalypse Now: Pig-Killing Virus Could Mean the End of Bacon | Carrie Arnold | August 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnother showed black crows pecking at a cutout of Switzerland.
Switzerland Paints EU As Cheese-Hungry Rat | Barbie Latza Nadeau | February 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDuring any other month, that news alone would have signaled a new world order, an upheaval in the pecking order.
Does Katie Couric’s Move to Yahoo Signal the End of Old Media Dominance? | David Freedlander | November 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
"It beats me why they're pecking around over the same ground so much," Mac observed.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairA few days later she was prouder still when they scampered this way and that, pecking at little bugs and ants.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon AndersonThey punished him unmercifully, pecking at him until he was so angry that he could hardly see straight.
Bumper, The White Rabbit | George Ethelbert WalshCaptain Wass showed a resolve to quit pecking at the edges and make a dab at the center of the subject.
Blow The Man Down | Holman DayOut in the sunny yard, some pigeons were pecking at grain, and a spaniel lay asleep in a corner.
Beautiful Joe | Marshall Saunders
British Dictionary definitions for peck (1 of 3)
/ (pɛk) /
a unit of dry measure equal to 8 quarts or one quarter of a bushel
a container used for measuring this quantity
a large quantity or number
Origin of peck
1British Dictionary definitions for peck (2 of 3)
/ (pɛk) /
(when intr, sometimes foll by at) to strike with the beak or with a pointed instrument
(tr sometimes foll by out) to dig (a hole) by pecking
(tr) (of birds) to pick up (corn, worms, etc) by pecking
(intr often foll by at) to nibble or pick (at one's food)
informal to kiss (a person) quickly and lightly
(intr foll by at) to nag
a quick light blow, esp from a bird's beak
a mark made by such a blow
informal a quick light kiss
Origin of peck
2British Dictionary definitions for Peck (3 of 3)
/ (pɛk) /
Gregory. 1916–2003, US film actor; his films include Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Gunfighter (1950), The Big Country (1958), To Kill a Mockingbird (1963), The Omen (1976), and Other People's Money (1991)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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