to 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.
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. pk, pk.
a considerable quantity.
a peck of trouble.
Annie Smith, 1850–1935, U.S. mountain climber.
Gregory, 1916–2003, U.S. actor.
to strike with the beak or with a pointed instrument
to dig (a hole) by pecking
(tr) (of birds) to pick up (corn, worms, etc) by pecking
to nibble or pick (at one's food)
informal to kiss (a person) quickly and lightly
to nag
a quick light blow, esp from a bird's beak
a mark made by such a blow
informal a quick light kiss
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
1300–50; Middle English pekken, peke, from Middle Dutch pecken, Middle Low German pekken; akin to pick 1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pek(ke); of uncertain origin
To peck is to jab or bite at something the way a bird does with its beak. A peck is also a unit of measurement, like when Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. (“Eight quarts” just didn’t sound right.) Most birds peck at their food, and when a person eats in a bird-like way, they also peck. Another way to peck is to give someone a light kiss, a peck on the cheek. A completely different kind of peck is a unit of measurement. In the US, a peck is one quarter of a bushel, or two gallons of a dry substance. The verb sense of peck comes from 1500s thieves' slang, in which it meant "food."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Brian’s home sits on a dirt lot, where several chickens peck at the weeds next to a table under a large tarp that blocks the sun during hot summer months.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
The lanky Yank had driven the spud-loving critter off his land more times than he could count, and the $10 he’d invested in a peck of potato seeds was disappearing with every bite.
From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024
The girl turned away before he could give her a peck on the head.
From Washington Times • Nov. 19, 2023
Baby birds, for example, will see the red area on the mother's beak and peck at it.
From BBC • Nov. 7, 2023
I was proud he wasn’t lazy like his own daddy, who spent the summer days on his porch swatting flies and even had him a pet hen to peck up the dead ones.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
