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peck (at)

verb

Definition of peck (at)next
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)
  1. dog
  2. needle
  3. beg
  4. urge
  5. nag
  6. bother
  7. hound
Verb
  • Pollsters approach this year’s midterm elections dogged by high-profile misfires in recent elections while facing challenges from brash rivals intent on reshaping the landscape of political forecasts.
    — W. Joseph Campbell, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • While gaining a seat in Texas has long been a far-off dream for Democrats, Paxton’s controversies have dogged him during the race.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of dog
Verb
  • And the South Korean firm didn’t wait long to needle its biggest rival.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Freedom thought Cloud went low, needling him with accusations of trying to win Cunningham’s affection.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of needle
Verb
  • Her husband hurriedly shut the door and begged her to see a doctor for a tranquilizer prescription.
    — Elvira Navarro, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • There is a genuinely good vehicle underneath all of this EX30 design just begging to come out.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of beg
Verb
  • The county urged the Supreme Court to reject the administration's appeal, while the state of Texas submitted its own brief defending the database.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The county urged the Supreme Court to reject the administration’s appeal, while the state of Texas submitted its own brief defending the database.
    — Ali Swenson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of urge
Verb
  • Those questions nag at Dustin Matteson, whose 16-year-old son, Brody, was the kind of teenager who seemed to live on playing fields in Ladera Ranch.
    — Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The stagnancy is nagging, as is the choice to supplant Kat as Season 2’s primary villain in favor of Frankie, a stopgap baddie played by Johnny Flynn.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of nag
Verb
  • Tanner Faaborg said he was also bothered by the reshaping of rural Iowa by industrial animal agriculture.
    — Rachel Cramer, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Before turning it into a judgment about your abilities, notice what specifically bothered you.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of bother
Verb
  • Miami doesn’t have Jaelen Phillips and Bradley Chubb, two proven, established pass rushers, to hound the opposition’s quarterback.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Hill expresses, in earnest, the fears of being seen in public spaces, such as a grocery store, hounded by personal questions—an all-too relatable scenario, regardless of one’s background.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of hound
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

peck
peck (at)
pecked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Peck (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peck%20%28at%29. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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