pecking order

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.

pecking order

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

pecking order

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pecking order¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

That issue seems far down the pecking order right now.

From BBC

Over the course of this summer, Overton has gone ahead of Matthew Potts and Sam Cook in the pecking order, albeit if the comparison is slightly clumsy because of their different attributes.

From BBC

With rumours circling that Earps had withdrawn after being unhappy at falling down the pecking order, Wiegman refused to give out details.

From BBC

However the club now have the dilemma of moving on either Ederson, who is entering the final year of his contract, or Ortega, who has now slipped a place down the pecking order.

From BBC

She had fallen down the pecking order with Chelsea's Hannah Hampton looking increasingly likely to secure the number one spot for this summer's championship.

From BBC

Related Words

• food chain 
• hierarchy 
• power structure 
• social structure