Synonyms
Noun (1)
- abundance
- barrel
- basketful
- boatload
- bucket
- bunch
- bundle
- bushel
- carload
- chunk
- deal
- dozen
- fistful
- gobs
- good deal
- heap
- hundred
- lashings [chiefly British]
- lashins
- loads
- lot
- mass
- mess
- mountain
- much
- multiplicity
- myriad
- oodles
- pack
- passel
- pile
- plateful
- plenitude
- plentitude
- plenty
- pot
- potful
- profusion
- quantity
- raft
- reams
- scads
- sheaf
- shipload
- sight
- slew
- spate
- stack
- store
- ton
- truckload
- volume
- wad
- wealth
- yard
Verb
Examples of peck in a Sentence
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023
In each clip, the pooch patiently waits for a peck from Jha, before consuming his food.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
Two middle-schoolers discuss French kissing and share one peck.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The two were captured on camera canoodling and sharing pecks during commercial breaks, seemingly confirming their romance.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024
Surrounded by his fellow actors, Smith — who will reprise his role as Detective Lieutenant Michael Eugene 'Mike' Lowrey alongside friend Martin Lawrence in the film — gave Liburd a peck on the lips as those around them rejoiced.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
At a news conference announcing the deal, Leonsis gave the new mayor a peck on the cheek.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024
During the bugs’ emergence, however, when birds shifted their attention toward the cicada smorgasbord, only 10 percent of the clay caterpillars had peck marks on them.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023
Heidi Klum gave Sofía Vergara a peck on the cheek at George Clooney and Amal Clooney's second annual Albie Awards in New York City on Thursday.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 29 Sep. 2023
Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2024
The jackdaws had to look at that chart and peck the color they had previously been shown.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2023
Jenner pecked him on the cheek, and Chalamet returned the favor on her lips.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024
Was this one of the hens that had pecked my hand or plucked feathers from the pink rump of another?
—Hazlitt, 14 Feb. 2024
The fact that this bird is exhibiting outgoing behavior, even aggressive, by pecking on windows is amazing to me.
—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
The carving was likely made by pecking the contours using a lithic tool or a handpick.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 2 Jan. 2024
The study team had trained female finches to peck keys that would play back specific recordings of these birdsongs.
—Olivia Ferrari, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023
The Buried Secrets actress then placed the pumpkin on the floor of her chicken coop where several of her chickens gathered around to peck away at the edible Halloween decor.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 19 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun (1)
Middle English pek, from Anglo-French
Verb
Middle English, perhaps from Middle Low German pekken
Noun (1)
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun (2)
circa 1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing peck
Articles Related to peck
Dictionary Entries Near peck
Cite this Entry
“Peck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peck. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
peck
2 of 3 verbpeck
3 of 3 nounNoun
Middle English pek "unit of measure," from early French pek (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English pecken "to strike or pierce repeatedly," perhaps from early German pekken (same meaning)
More from Merriam-Webster on peck
Nglish: Translation of peck for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of peck for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about peck
Share