peeper

¹ American  

[pee-per] / ˈpi pər /

noun

1. a person or thing that emits or utters a peeping sound.

2. Northeastern U.S. any of several frogs having a peeping call, especially the spring peeper.

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peeper ² American  

[pee-per] / ˈpi pər /

noun

1. a person who peeps in an abnormally prying manner; a voyeur.

2. Slang. peepers, the eyes.

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peeper British  

/ ˈpiːpə /

noun

1. a person who peeps

2. (often plural) a slang word for eye 1

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Etymology

Origin of peeper¹

First recorded in 1585–95; peep ² + -er ¹

Origin of peeper²

First recorded in 1645–55; peep ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

While oil heats, add cornmeal, flour and 1 teaspoon salt, black peeper and optional pinch of cayenne to a gallon sized ziplock and toss to combine.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2025

Or, not for the squeamish, watch the battle against Gargantos, a gooey one-eyed, multistory, six-legged demon with sucker tentacles that eventually loses its peeper in a highly gross way.

From Washington Times • Jul. 26, 2022

I spent much of my final college semester lugging around a parabolic microphone to record the mating calls of spring peeper frogs.

From National Geographic • Jan. 8, 2021

Here are seven spots to discover your inner leaf peeper.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2019

At last, however, I got sight of a peeper, caught him in the act, and saw that it was, in fact, a little frog, nothing more, nothing less.

From Wild Northern Scenes Sporting Adventures with the Rifle and the Rod by Hammond, S. H. (Samuel H.)

Related Words

• agent
• informer
• police officer
• private eye
• private investigator
• prosecutor
• reporter
• sleuth
• spy