as in to pick at
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
kept pecking at their prodigal daughter to get off the couch and to start looking for a job
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peck (at)
Verb
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Better with a Buddy — Adopt one cat, kitten or dog and get the second one (within a year) for $25.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026 -
Enjoy off-slope winter activities, from snowmobiling to dog sledding.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jake needles Harry about the past 50 years, but Harry can only offer scraps of history.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Jan. 2026
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But there are other factors that needled their way into the evolutionary development of dormancy characteristics.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Still, the rapid adoption of Burrito League begs the challenge—what the hell is so appealing about running around and around and around the same restaurant for days on end?—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
30 Jan. 2026
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At a January press conference, executive producer Ben Winston admitted to getting on his knees and begging the comedian to return.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Professionals are implicitly urged to respond faster, compress the calendar and add more tracking to show work in motion.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Manhattan prosecutors urged a judge on Wednesday to set a July trial date in Luigi Mangione's state murder case in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, two months before jury selection in his federal death penalty case.—
MICHAEL R. SISAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Seek’s application for potassium permanganate solves a nagging issue for the denim industry, but the flexibility of the organic bleaching system is wide reaching.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
26 Jan. 2026
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Jaden and Reigan Heskey clearly had the talent to make it in the sport, but for all Heskey’s pride at their achievements, fear nagged at him.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Zamiri doesn’t really bother filming fans rushing Charli’s car or whatever—this has been the quintessential mock-pop-doc scene since A Hard Day’s Night but these days the fans rush you online.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
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Aquarius' biggest struggle in 2026 Don’t bother trying to control the outcome.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Boone is relentlessly hounded by figments of his guilty memory, by other ghosts, and by his daughter—all of whom emphasize his nefarious role in delaying action to combat climate change.—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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About 50 seconds into overtime, Utah appeared to have possession with a chance to clear, but Werenski, Fantilli, Marchenko and Voronkov hounded the puck, using all means to keep it in the zone.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Peck (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peck%20%28at%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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