peeve
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
a source of annoyance or irritation.
Tardiness is one of my greatest peeves.
- Synonyms:
- grievance, affliction, vexation
-
an annoyed or irritated mood.
to be in a peeve.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of peeve
1905–10, back formation from peevish
Explanation
A peeve is something that really annoys you, like waiting in a long line or dropping a can on your toe because someone left it on the counter. Again. It's also a word for describing your resulting mood: peeved. You probably know the term "pet peeve," which is something that may not bother everyone, but particularly irritates you. Your pet peeve might be misspelled words on signs, mismatched socks, or close talkers. Peeve is also a verb, meaning "irritate." The adjective peevish, for “silly, perverse” came first, in the fourteenth century.
Vocabulary lists containing peeve
The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
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Concrete Rose
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Red Flags and Butterflies
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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.
“It is my biggest pet peeve that restaurants in the U.S. act like Diet Coke is the only option,” Ike Uche, a college administrator in New York, wrote in an email.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
“I have a pet peeve about mental-health narratives in a lot of movies,” says Shear.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
“It’s a pet peeve with many people,” he told me.
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2025
Gavaskar's big peeve is about the boundary distance being reduced from the conventional 75 yards to 65 or even lesser.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2024
I can’t be late; her number-one peeve is tardiness.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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.
