to affect with sharp irritation and resentment, especially by some wound to pride.
She was greatly piqued when they refused her invitation.
to wound (the pride, vanity, etc.).
to excite (interest, curiosity, etc.).
Her curiosity was piqued by the gossip.
to arouse an emotion or provoke to action.
to pique someone to answer a challenge.
Archaic. to pride (oneself) (usually followed by on orupon ).
a feeling of irritation or resentment, as from a wound to pride or self-esteem.
to be in a pique.
Obsolete. a state of irritated feeling between persons.
a fabric of cotton, spun rayon, or silk, woven lengthwise with raised cords.
Ballet. a step in which the dancer steps onto the tip of the toe without bending the knee.
ornamentation by means of punched or stippled patterns, sometimes inlaid with metal, ivory, tortoise shell, etc.
(of glove seams and gloves) stitched through lapping edges.
decorated with inlay.
a piqué box.
to cause to feel resentment or irritation
to excite or arouse
to pride or congratulate (oneself)
What's the difference between pique, peak, and peek? The word pique is most commonly means to arouse or excite a particular feeling, as in Advertisements are designed to pique your interest. It can also be used as a verb meaning to irritate or as a noun referring to a feeling or irritation. The word peak refers to the top of a mountain or, more figuratively, to the highest point of something, as in the peak of my career. The word peek is most commonly used as a verb meaning to look at something quickly or sneakily and as a noun referring to such a look. The confusion surrounding the three words—all three of which can be used as both a verb and a noun—is mainly due to the fact that they are all pronounced the same. To remember what pique means (and how to spell it), remember that the things that pique your interest or curiosity are often unique.Since peek and peak are so close in spelling, one way to tell them apart is to remember that peek has two e’s, which kind of look like two little eyes peeking out between the p and the k. Another way to remember this is that peek has two e’s like look has two o’s. Here’s an example of pique, peak, and peek used correctly in a sentence. Example: The image of the strange mountain peak on the cover was meant to pique your curiosity, and it worked—you picked up the magazine to peek inside. Want to learn more? Read the breakdown of the difference between piqued, peaked, and peeked.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French pique (noun), piquer (verb), from Vulgar Latin piccare (unrecorded) “to pick”; cf. pick 1, pike 2
First recorded in 1830–40; from French, past participle of piquer “to quilt, prick”; see pique 1
The verb pique means to make someone angry or annoyed. But when something piques your interest or curiosity, here the verb pique just means to arouse, stimulate, or excite. Both the noun and verb are pronounced "pēk" and were borrowed from a French word meaning "a prick or irritation," from Old French piquer, "to prick." So you can see how something that piques you could make you both excited and angry, perhaps even enough to storm away. That storming away, by the by, might be called a "fit of pique."
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A host of global football stars including Antoine Griezmann, Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane, Gerard Pique and David de Gea tweeted their support at the time.
From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026
Former Barcelona and Manchester United defender Gerard Pique flipped the logic earlier this year by suggesting teams should get zero points if a match ends 0-0.
From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025
Shakira, 46, lived with former Barcelona and Spain soccer star Gerard Pique for 11 years and the couple have two children.
From Reuters • Nov. 19, 2023
The new charges hinge on the fact that in 2018, Shakira was living in Barcelona with football star Gerard Pique and was therefore required to tax all her international revenue there.
From BBC • Sep. 26, 2023
The Blanche measured 710 tons and the Pique 906, while the weight of her guns was slightly in excess of that of the victor.
From How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves Updated to 1900 by Kingston, William Henry Giles
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.
