pecking order

American  

Sometimes peck order

noun

1. Animal Behavior. a dominance hierarchy, seen especially in domestic poultry, that is maintained by one bird pecking another of lower status.

2. a sequence or hierarchy of authority in an organization or social group.

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pecking order British  

noun

1. Also called: peck order.  a natural hierarchy in a group of gregarious birds, such as domestic fowl

2. any hierarchical order, as among people in a particular group

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pecking order Cultural  

1. A hierarchy within a social group or community, in which those members at the top assume positions of leadership, authority, and power. The expression originated from a description of social behavior among chickens, which attack each other by pecking to establish dominance.

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pecking order Idioms  

1. The hierarchy of authority in a group, as in On a space mission, the astronauts have a definite pecking order. This expression, invented in the 1920s by biologists who discovered that domestic poultry maintain such a hierarchy with one bird pecking another of lower status, was transferred to human behavior in the 1950s.

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Etymology

Origin of pecking order

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pecking order

He may well be third in Tuchel's goalkeeping pecking order, but experts assessing the situation say the margins are small.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

In a time of distress, like a recession, “there’s a pecking order to who gets in the lifeboat first,” Ed Al-Hussainy, portfolio manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, told Barron’s late last year.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Clarke's pecking order of strikers would most likely have had Adams in pole position, but that view is becoming harder to justify.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

Between artificial intelligence, the Iran War, and the future of Taiwan, there’s a lot for the United States and China to hash out—not least of which being the pecking order.

From Slate ● May 15, 2026

It is not uncommon for this breed of bantam to be the top of the pecking order among milder-mannered breeds.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones

Related Words

• food chain
• hierarchy
• power structure
• social structure