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
Leila Hatami pecked the director of the Cannes Film Festival and was quickly denounced as a sinner by hardliners at home.
The Kiss That Sent Iran Crazy and an Actress to Be Flogged in Public | IranWire | May 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHand it off to a hen-pecked husband or a put-upon assistant and it can demean or belittle.
So he pecked out the wiring instruction to his broker with two fingers.
"Just experienced the meaning of BLINDSIDED...," she pecked.
A contemporary pamphleteer compared him to an owl in the sunshine pursued and pecked to death by flights of tiny birds.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
She even noticed one little thief that darted in and pecked shamelessly at her own slice.
Child Life In Town And Country | Anatole FranceShe sat down at the table, and leaning her chin in her hand, watched the two women as they pecked at their bread and cheese.
Happy House | Betsey Riddle, Freifrau von Hutten zum StolzenbergHe ran after her when she left the room; he pecked her hand, and flew up at her face.
In Nesting Time | Olive Thorne MillerIt hopped down from a twig, it jerked its head about, it pecked at something on the ground, and then flew up into a tree.
What Might Have Been Expected | Frank R. Stockton
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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