pecking order

peck·ing order

noun \ˈpek-iŋ-ˌ\

Definition of PECKING ORDER

: 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—compare cannibalism 3, dominance a

Variants of PECKING ORDER

peck·ing order also peck order \ˈpek-ˌ\