pecs

¹ American

[peks] / pɛks /

plural noun

Informal.

pectoral muscles.

Pécs ² American

[peych] / peɪtʃ /

noun

a city in SW Hungary.

Pécs British

/ peːtʃ /

noun

an industrial city in SW Hungary: university (1367). Pop: 158 942 (2003 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pecs

First recorded in 1965–70; by shortening

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.

Is "fit and healthy" becoming increasingly wrapped up in a tight torso and sculpted pecs?

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025

Consequently, the front of the body — the pecs — tighten up and the back of the shoulders get over-stretched.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2025

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested the leaders bare their chests and "show them our pecs" in reference to Putin's shirtless poses over the years, including on horseback.

From Reuters • Jun. 27, 2022

If you move past that, you get to the body: Yes, Mattel has done away with the impossible waist, the “perfect” plastic breasts of Barbie, and the molded musculature of Ken’s pecs.

From Slate • Nov. 8, 2019

I turned to Art, a black kid who was a foot and a half taller than me and whose pecs were about to burst out of his shirt and eat someone.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023