peanut gallery
noun
1
: the upper balcony of a theater
Carnegie Hall was packed, the balconies rising row on row, full, even to the "peanut gallery."—
Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
also
: a section of cheap seats in a theater or the group of spectators seated there
I don't even get to sit with Megan since she's real high society and I'm just her … fiancée. I'll be down in the peanut gallery with the low-lifes … —John Ringo
John Ringo 2
: a group of critics or commentators likened to spectators in the cheap seats of a theater
But even so, last year's adaptation … reaped more backlash from critics than its pop-blockbuster excellence deserved. The peanut gallery didn't like director Gary Ross's handheld camerawork …—Ross Douthat
Ross DouthatThe announcement that "The Inheritance of Loss" had won the Booker was met (as these announcements always are) with a few gripes from the peanut gallery in Britain.—Dwight Garner
Dwight GarnerExamples of peanut gallery in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our teams, our stakeholders, the press, the peanut gallery.
—Shane Snow, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
The usual peanut gallery inside the Grading The Week offices took a week or so off to get the holidays out of our system, then another unplanned week or so to get a family-spread dose of mild coronavirus, the Christmas gift nobody wanted, out of our respective lungs.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 13 Jan. 2024
And that concludes my peanut gallery commentary on it all.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Her repertoire of recipes was quick, consistent, and – most importantly – didn’t stir up complaints from the peanut gallery.
—Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
And contrary to the table-pounding from the partisan peanut gallery, all choices have consequences.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 22 Jan. 2024
Egged on by the conservative peanut gallery, DeSantis has relentlessly pushed himself to the right.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
While three bakers compete in each round, the remaining participants sit on stage as a peanut gallery, lobbing questions and comments.
—The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2022
The peanut gallery was out in full force.
—Rahat Huq, Chron, 11 July 2022
Shane Snow, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
The usual peanut gallery inside the Grading The Week offices took a week or so off to get the holidays out of our system, then another unplanned week or so to get a family-spread dose of mild coronavirus, the Christmas gift nobody wanted, out of our respective lungs.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 13 Jan. 2024
And that concludes my peanut gallery commentary on it all.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Her repertoire of recipes was quick, consistent, and – most importantly – didn’t stir up complaints from the peanut gallery.
—Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
And contrary to the table-pounding from the partisan peanut gallery, all choices have consequences.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 22 Jan. 2024
Egged on by the conservative peanut gallery, DeSantis has relentlessly pushed himself to the right.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
While three bakers compete in each round, the remaining participants sit on stage as a peanut gallery, lobbing questions and comments.
—The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2022
The peanut gallery was out in full force.
—Rahat Huq, Chron, 11 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peanut gallery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near peanut gallery
Cite this Entry
“Peanut gallery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peanut%20gallery. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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