to affect with sharp irritation and resentment, especially by some wound to pride.
She was greatly piqued when they refused her invitation.
to wound (the pride, vanity, etc.).
to excite (interest, curiosity, etc.).
Her curiosity was piqued by the gossip.
to arouse an emotion or provoke to action.
to pique someone to answer a challenge.
Archaic. to pride (oneself) (usually followed by on orupon ).
a feeling of irritation or resentment, as from a wound to pride or self-esteem.
to be in a pique.
Obsolete. a state of irritated feeling between persons.
a fabric of cotton, spun rayon, or silk, woven lengthwise with raised cords.
Ballet. a step in which the dancer steps onto the tip of the toe without bending the knee.
ornamentation by means of punched or stippled patterns, sometimes inlaid with metal, ivory, tortoise shell, etc.
(of glove seams and gloves) stitched through lapping edges.
decorated with inlay.
a piqué box.
to cause to feel resentment or irritation
to excite or arouse
to pride or congratulate (oneself)
What's the difference between pique, peak, and peek? The word pique is most commonly means to arouse or excite a particular feeling, as in Advertisements are designed to pique your interest. It can also be used as a verb meaning to irritate or as a noun referring to a feeling or irritation. The word peak refers to the top of a mountain or, more figuratively, to the highest point of something, as in the peak of my career. The word peek is most commonly used as a verb meaning to look at something quickly or sneakily and as a noun referring to such a look. The confusion surrounding the three words—all three of which can be used as both a verb and a noun—is mainly due to the fact that they are all pronounced the same. To remember what pique means (and how to spell it), remember that the things that pique your interest or curiosity are often unique.Since peek and peak are so close in spelling, one way to tell them apart is to remember that peek has two e’s, which kind of look like two little eyes peeking out between the p and the k. Another way to remember this is that peek has two e’s like look has two o’s. Here’s an example of pique, peak, and peek used correctly in a sentence. Example: The image of the strange mountain peak on the cover was meant to pique your curiosity, and it worked—you picked up the magazine to peek inside. Want to learn more? Read the breakdown of the difference between piqued, peaked, and peeked.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French pique (noun), piquer (verb), from Vulgar Latin piccare (unrecorded) “to pick”; cf. pick 1, pike 2
First recorded in 1830–40; from French, past participle of piquer “to quilt, prick”; see pique 1
The verb pique means to make someone angry or annoyed. But when something piques your interest or curiosity, here the verb pique just means to arouse, stimulate, or excite. Both the noun and verb are pronounced "pēk" and were borrowed from a French word meaning "a prick or irritation," from Old French piquer, "to prick." So you can see how something that piques you could make you both excited and angry, perhaps even enough to storm away. That storming away, by the by, might be called a "fit of pique."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The letter was from Guy Spier, 60, investment manager of the Aquamarine Fund, and the first section did little to pique my interest.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
And his letter to Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre highlighted his obsessive pique over not winning this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
In that case, it’s no surprise that “Sinners,” Coogler’s first entirely original film, would pique viewers’ curiosity.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025
A pitch-perfect combination of pathos, pique and comedy, Eisenberg’s screenplay doesn’t allow any note to get pounded louder than the others.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025
Both soccer and lacrosse were big sports in our town, but they didn’t really pique my interest.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
