peep

¹ American  

[peep] / pip /

verb (used without object)

1. to look through a small opening or from a concealed location.

2. to look slyly, pryingly, or furtively.

3. to look curiously or playfully.

4. to come partially into view; begin to appear.

   the first crocuses peeping through the snow-covered ground.

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verb (used with object)

1. to show or protrude slightly.

noun

1. a quick or furtive look or glance.

2. the first appearance, as of dawn.

3. an aperture for looking through.

peep ² American  

[peep] / pip /

noun

1. a short, shrill little cry or sound, as of a young bird; cheep; squeak.

2. any of various small sandpipers.

3. a slight sound or remark, especially in complaint.

   I don't want to hear a peep out of any of you!

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verb (used without object)

1. to utter the short, shrill little cry of a young bird, a mouse, etc.; cheep; squeak.

2. to speak in a thin, weak voice.

peep ³ American  

[peep] / pip /

noun

1. Jeep.

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peep ¹ British  

/ piːp /

verb

1. to look furtively or secretly, as through a small aperture or from a hidden place

2. to appear partially or briefly

   the sun peeped through the clouds

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noun

1. a quick or furtive look

2. the first appearance

   the peep of dawn

peep ² British  

/ piːp /

verb

1. (esp of young birds) to utter shrill small noises

2. to speak in a thin shrill voice

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noun

1. a peeping sound

2. any of various small sandpipers of the genus Calidris (or Erolia ) and related genera, such as the pectoral sandpiper

peep Idioms  

1. see hear a peep out of.

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Synonym Usage

Peep, peek, peer mean to look through, over, or around something. To peep or peek is usually to give a quick look through a narrow aperture or small opening, often furtively, slyly, or pryingly, or to look over or around something curiously or playfully: to peep over a wall; to peek into a room. Peek is often associated with children's games. To peer is to look continuously and narrowly for some time, especially in order to penetrate obscurity or to overcome some obstacle in the way of vision: The firefighter peered through the smoke.

Etymology

Origin of peep¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English pepe; assimilated variant of peek

Origin of peep²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pepen, pipen; compare Dutch, German piepen, Old French piper, Latin pipāre, Greek pippízein, Czech pípat, Lithuanian pỹpti, all ultimately of imitative origin

Origin of peep³

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; apparently alteration of Jeep ( def. )

Explanation

To peep is to take a quick, secret glance at something. Kids might peep into the living room on Christmas morning to see if Santa came the night before. You can peep through the blinds to see who's ringing your doorbell, or watch the sky, hoping the sun will peep (or suddenly appear) from behind the clouds so you can go to the beach as planned. Another kind of peep is the high chirping sound a chick or baby bird makes. This second meaning is imitative — in other words, the word peep sounds like the noise itself.

Example Sentences

The GTI report advised the government to place a legal obligation on building owners to implement Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans or PEEP.

From BBC • May 27, 2022

In 2012, a panel of experts again redefined the syndrome, specifying that, to make a proper diagnosis, blood-oxygen levels must be measured while a patient is on PEEP.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2020

Desperate for a solution, Petty and his colleagues put the patients on an older ventilator that blew at high pressure, even as a patient exhaled — a technique he called positive end-expiratory pressure, or PEEP.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2020

NOT A PEEP: No more Peeps are being hatched for at least a couple of weeks - but it shouldn’t affect Easter baskets.

From Washington Times • Mar. 27, 2020

PEPE, PEEP, s. the chirp of a bird.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Leighton, Alexander

Related Words

• hoot