pecking order

noun

variants or less commonly peck 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

Examples of pecking order in a Sentence

As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.

the pecking order of Washington politics

Recent Examples on the Web

Watkins has given the start against Newcastle United and offered a reminder of his quality by opening the scoring in a 4-1 win, but the 29-year-old is quite clearly below Rashford in the pecking order at Villa Park right now. —Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Later in the season, when the flock has broken up and birds have already gone through their pecking order, Drury thinks twice before running a jake. —Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2025

After switching places in the pecking order multiple times during the week following the election, Tordillos emerged with a slim six-vote advantage, triggering an automatic recount held last Thursday that confirmed the results. —Devan Patel, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2025

Endrick, with one goal in La Liga and another in Europe, lags behind other talents in the pecking order. —Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pecking order

• boarder
• border
• corder
• warder
• camcorder
• disorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

Kids Definition

pecking order

noun

variants also peck order

1

: a basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without being pecked in return and allows pecking by one of higher rank

2

: a social order with ranks or classes

Medical Definition

pecking order

noun

peck·​ing order ˈpek-iŋ-ˌ 

variants also peck order

ˈpek-ˌ 

: 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 sense 3, dominance sense a