pecking order

pecking order

noun

Definition of PECKING ORDER

1

: the basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank; broadly : a dominance hierarchy in a group of social animals

2

: a social hierarchy

Variants of PECKING ORDER

pecking order also peck order

Examples of PECKING ORDER

1. As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.
2. the pecking order of Washington politics

First Known Use of PECKING ORDER

1928

Rhymes with PECKING ORDER

flight recorder, holy order, in short order, law-and-order, made-to-order, major order, market order, minor order, money order, mood disorder, standing order, superorder, tape recorder, wire recorder