piker

noun

pik·​er ˈpī-kər How to pronounce piker (audio)
1
: one who gambles or speculates with small amounts of money
2
: one who does things in a small way

Examples of piker in a Sentence

don't be such a piker—live it up a little while you're on vacation!
Recent Examples on the Web And Stockfish, in turn, is a piker next to AlphaZero, which crushed it after a mere 24 hours of self-training. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Dec. 2018 Former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were pikers in comparison. Andrea Louise Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2017 So far, this pullback has taken 15% off gold’s peak price — a piker by historical standards — and has lasted just 13 months, well within norms for mid-cycle corrections. Moneyshow, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2021 Congress’s decision will ultimately determine whether this massive federal check-writing operation will be cemented in Joe Biden’s legacy — an initiative that’s already made FDR look like a government-check-writing piker by comparison. Matt Weidinger, National Review, 20 Sep. 2021 Compared to more established coins, SafeMoon is a piker. Danielle Abril, Fortune, 17 May 2021 The end result could make the architect of the Great Society look like a piker. W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 16 Mar. 2021 If lording such exclusivity over your piker friends who drive 500SLs and 850is is worth the price of a decent house to you, well fine. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 27 May 2020 But talk about Ticket Masters, jocks are pikers compared to diplomats. David Whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, 28 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'piker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

pike to play cautiously, of unknown origin

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of piker was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near piker

Cite this Entry

“Piker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piker. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

piker

noun
pik·​er ˈpī-kər How to pronounce piker (audio)
1
: one who does things on a small scale
especially : one who gambles with a small amount of money
2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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