the male of the peafowl distinguished by its long, erectile, greenish, iridescent tail coverts that are brilliantly marked with ocellated spots and that can be spread in a fan.
any peafowl.
a vain, self-conscious person.
Astronomy. Peacock, the constellation Pavo.
a male peafowl, having a crested head and a very large fanlike tail marked with blue and green eyelike spots
another name for peafowl
a vain strutting person
to display (oneself) proudly
obsolete to acquire (the best pieces of land) in such a way that the surrounding land is useless to others
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pecok, pocok equivalent to pe- ( Old English pēa “peafowl,” from Latin pāvōn-, stem of pavō peacock ( def. ) ) + cok ( Old English coc cock 1 )
A peacock is a shiny blue bird who fans out his large colorful iridescent tail feathers, especially when he’s flirting with the peahens. A peacock is a male peafowl. A male peacock is more flamboyant than his female counterpart — he’s the one with those long brilliant tail feathers marked with eye-like designs. If a man (a human!) dresses overly flashy, he’s “peacocking.” The writer Flannery O’ Connor was famous for having peacocks strut around her farm in Georgia. Peacocks also have a loud call that sounds almost like a human cry. The word peacock has many etymological influences, and it may ultimately come from the Tamil tokei.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From her perch in New Orleans, she has also reported on natural disasters, the big business of Mardi Gras and her neighborhood peacock, Mr. P.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
This week, Rausch’s fellow Traitors, Housewives Candiace Dillard Bassett and Lisa Rinna, get to peacock in a massive crown and, for Rinna, a brooch as bewitching as it is deadly.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
Fish such as wolf fish, peacock bass, and South American lungfish were especially common, accompanied by reptiles including caimans and turtles, and mammals such as capybaras, pacas, and armadillos.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025
The famous NBC peacock will no longer be part of the channel’s logo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2025
About a screecher who dined on peacock snails.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
NBCUniversal’s Peacock turns a profit for the first time, boosted by audiences tuning into the World Cup and “Love Island.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Species that can be recorded during the survey include the Peacock, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Brimstone and Small Copper.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The Peacock news was part of Comcast’s earnings results.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The company ended the second quarter with 48 million paid Peacock subscribers, compared with 46 million in the first quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Peacock snails came up frequently in my notes, year after year, but they were difficult to find these days.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
For all the talk about horses, the Kentucky Derby has a lot of peacocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Sunset runs amid free-roaming peacocks and ghaf trees in a surprisingly rural area behind the skyscrapers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
On the course, elaborate tombs of the city's past rulers poke through tangled trees that are home to peacocks, troops of monkeys and mongooses.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025
Of the four remaining peacocks, one has several tail feathers missing, indicating that someone may have attempted to snatch him, said Nielsen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
At Zeus’s left flank rode Hera, her chariot pulled by enormous peacocks, their rainbow-coloured plumage so bright it gave Jason the spins.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
In a choreographic sequence during the final seconds of his program, Malinin peacocked to the fans—and judges—with the kind of daring maneuver that’s more common on snow than ice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
Charles’s coronation was a full-color spectacle, showing off the peacocked glory of British tradition and the bells and whistles of 21st-century TV.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2023
Stone-faced men in suits with badges pinned to their belts peacocked around.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2022
Nothing about the way that pair peacocked their way around Augusta National Golf Club during Saturday’s third round indicated they have any intention of allowing those behind them in on their personal tournament.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2018
She peacocked about the room, frankly delighted at her own reflection in the mirrors, and practised the pose she was to assume on the Float.
From Patty's Butterfly Days by Wells, Carolyn
Although the term is clinically obsolete, examples of male peacocking are as close as the nearest bejeweled Patek Philippe, sterling-silver rodeo belt buckle or jumped-up, gold-plated pickup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
"So I could see how he might be funny about actors who were peacocking themselves," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025
The cast is uniformly excellent, including the peacocking Washington, chewing the scenery, and the soulful Mescal, looking like the statue of David come to life in fierce, brutal form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
There is a boastfulness and peacocking at times.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2023
One or two returned to the village wearing coney-seal coats, and peacocking into church with bold eyes challenging attention from wounded heroes.
From The Soul of Susan Yellam by Vachell, Horace Annesley
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.
