peer
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to look narrowly or searchingly, as in the effort to discern clearly.
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to peep out or appear slightly.
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to come into view.
noun
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peers
plural
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a person of the same legal status.
a jury of one's peers.
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a person who is equal to another in abilities, qualifications, age, background, and social status.
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something of equal worth or quality.
a skyscraper without peer.
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a nobleman.
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a member of any of the five degrees of the nobility in Great Britain and Ireland (duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron).
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Computers.
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a network connected to one or more other networks in a way that routes traffic independently between them in a direct exchange of data.
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a computer or device that is connected to others in a network, either directly or through a server.
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Archaic. a companion.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a member of a nobility; nobleman
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a person who holds any of the five grades of the British nobility: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron See also life peer
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a person who is an equal in social standing, rank, age, etc
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( as modifier )
peer pressure
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archaic a companion; mate
verb
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to look intently with or as if with difficulty
to peer into the distance
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to appear partially or dimly
the sun peered through the fog
Synonym Usage
See peep 1.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of peer1
First recorded in 1560–70; perhaps a variant of appear
Origin of peer2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English per, from Old French per, from Latin pār “equal, an equal, partner”
Explanation
A peer is someone at your own level. If you are a 10th grader, other high school students are your peers. Peer comes from the Latin par which means equal. When you are on par with someone, you are their peer. If kids your age are pressuring you to do something you don't want to do, that's peer pressure. In the sport of basketball, Michael Jordan was without peer, no one could equal his talent. When he switched to baseball, he found himself to be among peers again.
Vocabulary lists containing peer
Two-Faced Words: Contronyms
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"Of Mice and Men"
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"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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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.
See Examples For:
Samsung’s peer, SK Hynix, unveiled its own program to boost shareholder returns earlier this week, including plans to buy and cancel more than $28 billion of shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Offord, a former Conservative peer, led Reform to a Scottish Parliament breakthrough in May with 17 seats.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
I slipped out of bed to peer into the brown bag holding my new undercover possession when I suddenly realized I didn’t remember bringing the bag home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
When asked how Acadian was incorporating artificial intelligence into its analysis, McNerney said one example was using natural-language processing as part of its analysis of peer groups.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
As her father bent to peer inside the windows, Akira felt sweat beading up on her forehead.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Malia says among her peers, these videos are seen as "comic content" rather than taken as political messaging or outreach.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The organic sales growth demonstrated the gap between it and peers, Citi’s Ranulf Orr wrote, with the print 50% ahead of Novonesis’ closest peer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The debt struggles of Evergrande and industry peers including Country Garden, Vanke and Kaisa have had a severe impact on consumer confidence, dissuading many would-be homebuyers from making purchases.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Klitschko joins Panettiere’s co-stars and Hollywood peers in paying tribute to her life and career on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
My real peers are creating algorithms and solving problems.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
