peer pressure

American  

[peer presh-er] / ˈpɪər ˈprɛʃ ər /

noun

1. social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.

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peer pressure Cultural  

1. The social influence a peer group exerts on its individual members, as each member attempts to conform to the expectations of the group. (See conformity.)

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Example Sentences

One of my mom group chats recently turned to strength training, and I copped to finally succumbing to peer pressure and buying weights on Amazon—5 pounders, to be exact.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

"There is peer pressure, because they've seen what their friends did. There is the expectation that has been planted with an affluent lifestyle. And there is the idea of showing effort," he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

I’m not going to succumb to any sort of weird peer pressure.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2025

"There would be exemptions for teenage parents and certain jobs", she explained, adding that limitations would "take away the peer pressure for young drivers".

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2025

No thundering from a pulpit, no condemnation from bad churches, no peer pressure, just a book of scripture quietly waiting to say hello, as gentle and powerful as a little girl’s kiss on your cheek.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel