peacock
noun
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.
peacock
1 American
[pee-kok]
/ ˈpiˌkɒk /
noun
-
peacocks,
plural
-
peacock
plural
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
peacocks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
peacocked,
past participle, past
-
peacocking
present participle
Peacock
2
American
[pee-kok]
/ ˈpiˌkɒk /
noun
peacock
1
British
/ ˈpiːˌkɒk /
noun
-
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
verb
-
to display (oneself) proudly
-
obsolete to acquire (the best pieces of land) in such a way that the surrounding land is useless to others
Peacock
2
British
/ ˈpiːˌkɒk /
noun
peacock
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
peacockerynoun
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peacockishnessnoun
-
peacockismnoun
-
peahennoun
-
peacockishadjective
-
peacockyadjective
-
peacockishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
peacocksimple
-
peacockssimple
-
have peacockedperfect
-
has peacockedperfect
-
am peacockingprogressive
-
are peacockingprogressive
-
is peacockingprogressive
-
have been peacockingperfect progressive
-
has been peacockingperfect progressive
Past
-
peacockedsimple
-
had peacockedperfect
-
was peacockingprogressive
-
were peacockingprogressive
-
had been peacockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of peacock
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 )
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing peacock
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“The peacock was just standing in front of his truck,” Davis said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
He doesn’t peacock, he doesn’t preen; he is visibly angry with himself when he doesn’t produce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
As if to underline the point, he wore a medallion around his neck featuring NBC’s peacock logo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 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
He grabbed a silver rhinestone-studded headband with a peacock feather sticking out of it and set it on Dimple’s head.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
The ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles hosted by “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay scored the third-smallest audience ever for an Emmy telecast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The 78th Emmy Awards begin Monday at 5 p.m. at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
The stars of TV’s biggest shows walked the red carpet at Los Angeles’s Peacock Theater before the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday evening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The ceremony will begin at 17:00 PT / 20:00 ET on Monday, taking place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 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
“The house was small, so we built onto it to add a kitchen. We use the barns as a sanctuary for rescued horses, ducks, chickens, peacocks, goats, and other animals,” she went on.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
To get a sense of the topography, walk 10 minutes from the center of town up to the Citadelle, a fortress where peacocks roam and you’ll have panoramic views over the Gulf of St. Tropez.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 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
Since then, several generations of peacocks have enjoyed the hotel’s hospitality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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
Ultimately, “banter” is nothing more than a buzzword, the 2024 answer to the “sapiosexual” craze where online daters peacocked their degrees by designating their sexual preference as “intellectuals.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
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
The helicopter landed just before 3 p.m. and Mick Jagger, 26 years old, bushy-haired and chewing gum, peacocked onto the pavement.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2019
Sir Blaise peacocked over the lawn, delicate as Agag.
From The Lady of Loyalty House A Novel by Justin H. (Justin Huntly) McCarthy
But the filmmakers are more than just passive observers of an extroverted intellectual peacocking while the light is dying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
"So I could see how he might be funny about actors who were peacocking themselves," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025
The looks are familiar — gold-button blazers, oxfords and rugbys — but with the edge of New York City peacocking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2024
It was a novel turn for an artist venerated for his dexterity, his peacocking, his exuberance, his progressivism.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
Why should I want my cook to go peacocking about with a pink parasol, making a fool of herself, and bringing disgrace on the house?
From If Winter Don't A B C D E F Notsomuchinson by Barry Pain
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.
