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• peck
  peck

  verb (used with object)

  to strike or indent with the beak, as a bird does, or with some pointed instrument, especially with quick, repeated movements.
• Peck
  Peck

  noun

  Annie Smith, 1850–1935, U.S. mountain climber.

peck

¹ American  

[pek] / pɛk /

verb (used with object)

• pecks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pecked,
  past participle,  past
• pecking
  present participle

1. to strike or indent with the beak, as a bird does, or with some pointed instrument, especially with quick, repeated movements.

2. to make (a hole, puncture, etc.) by such strokes; pierce.

3. to take (food) bit by bit, with or as with the beak.

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verb (used without object)

• pecks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pecked,
  past participle,  past
• pecking
  present participle

1. to make strokes with the beak or a pointed instrument.

noun

1. a quick stroke, as in pecking.

2. a hole or mark made by or as by pecking.

3. a quick, almost impersonal kiss.

   a peck on the cheek.

4. (in timber) incipient decay from fungi, occurring in isolated spots.

5. Slang. pecks. Also peckings food; grub.

verb phrase

1. peck at

   1. to nibble indifferently or unenthusiastically at (food).

   2. to nag or carp at.

      Stop pecking at me, I'm doing the best I can.

peck ² American  

[pek] / pɛk /

noun

1. a dry measure of 8 quarts; the fourth part of a bushel, equal to 537.6 cubic inches (8.81 liters).

2. a container for measuring this quantity. pk, pk.

3. a considerable quantity.

   a peck of trouble.

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Peck ³ American  

[pek] / pɛk /

noun

1. Annie Smith, 1850–1935, U.S. mountain climber.

2. Gregory, 1916–2003, U.S. actor.

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peck ¹ British  

/ pɛk /

verb

1. to strike with the beak or with a pointed instrument

2. to dig (a hole) by pecking

3. (tr) (of birds) to pick up (corn, worms, etc) by pecking

4. to nibble or pick (at one's food)

5. informal to kiss (a person) quickly and lightly

6. to nag

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noun

1. a quick light blow, esp from a bird's beak

2. a mark made by such a blow

3. informal a quick light kiss

peck ² British  

/ pɛk /

noun

1. a unit of dry measure equal to 8 quarts or one quarter of a bushel

2. a container used for measuring this quantity

3. a large quantity or number

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Peck ³ British  

/ pɛk /

noun

1. 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)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unpecked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• pecking
  present
• pecked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• peck
  simple
• pecks
  simple
• have pecked
  perfect
• has pecked
  perfect
• am pecking
  progressive
• are pecking
  progressive
• is pecking
  progressive
• have been pecking
  perfect progressive
• has been pecking
  perfect progressive

Past

• pecked
  simple
• had pecked
  perfect
• was pecking
  progressive
• were pecking
  progressive
• had been pecking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will peck
  simple
• will have pecked
  perfect
• will be pecking
  progressive
• will have been pecking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of peck¹

1300–50; Middle English pekken, peke, from Middle Dutch pecken, Middle Low German pekken; akin to pick ¹

Origin of peck²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pek(ke); of uncertain origin

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peck Peck pecks pecked pecking

So I sit down and try to peck out a few words, a few thoughts on a couple ideas I have.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 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

The plover birds that peck the scraps from crocodile teeth without getting eaten — that’s symbiosis, right?

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2023

Under my mother’s glare, he gave Caroline a timid peck on the cheek, then wrapped his arms around me and gave me a bear hug.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat

It would diversify the group’s investment portfolio, and a reliable tenant was committed to leasing the building once it was finished, Peck said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

However, CEO Kristin Peck highlighted “increased price sensitivity” among pet owners, previewing the macro headwinds that Singh would later flag.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Miller said the Peck family "live on with the pain and anguish of what happened to Steven, every single day".

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, discuss theories on why the hell anyone would do this and whether it’s just weird or actually sinister.

From Slate ● May 23, 2026

Suesetta calls out, “We can still be friends even though your mom doesn’t agree with Mrs. Peck and Mrs. Malloy.”

From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson

Back in Beadnell, on the kind of grey blustery day when the rain pecks at your face, the Craster Arms has a steady stream of windbent visitors.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

While some of the pecks are small, he said, “in the most extreme cases, the largest wounds can cover a big portion of the calves’ back and can be one meter long or even bigger.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

If a chick pecks at a parent’s beak, it is asking for food, which comes in the form of partially digested fish.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2022

Every time the feisty bird's beak makes contact with the hard surface — at up to 20 pecks per second — the impact vibrates throughout its head and neck.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2022

“And you and me’s going to fry up a couple pecks of potatoes to go with the fish. There won’t be nothing to it. I peeled the potatoes this morning before you two was up.”

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

Arkansas pecked out a deal with Arkansas-based Tyson Foods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

But surely some American women can relate to feeling pecked or prodded, and pushed aside when they reach middle age.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2024

But it does need to survive being pecked by a bird or chewed by other small animals.

From NewsForKids.net ● Feb. 23, 2024

The silence in my home, after that, was unsettling: no scritch-scratching of claws on hardwood floors or chomping of kibble in the background as I pecked away at my keyboard writing articles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024

They jumped out, flapping their wings, and immediately pecked the ground for anything to eat.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

Haas have fallen down the pecking order as other teams have introduced upgrades and begun to get on top of the new rules.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Perhaps the Chargers’ first preseason game — and who plays first, most or not at all during it — will indicate a pecking order.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Intestacy rules provide a pecking order for who inherits a person's assets when they die without a will, but currently do not recognise unmarried partners.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

“We keep pecking, pecking, pecking at them, and I start to see light at the end of the tunnel.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

He started pouring birdseed over my head, and the birds flew down and started peck peck pecking at me, and...

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth