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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In 2016, voters were asked to choose between a populist candidate dogged by questions about his integrity, judgment, decency, civility, empathy, and respect for everyone from complete strangers to his own wife, and an overqualified, glass-ceiling-smashing woman.—
Shannon A. Mullen,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026 -
The idea that dogs graze to purge a sick stomach is one of the explanations owners reach for most.—
Niranjana Rajalakshmi,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Verb
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By contrast, Trump is being needled almost weekly by Tillis and other GOP senators whose chattiness with the press has drawn the ire of the president.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
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The Velvet Gang needles the outraged Christie ever so.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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My brothers-in-law and their spouses give their parents only limited amounts of time on holidays and limited physical assistance to their parents only if my husband begs for help.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
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While Plymouth, Massachusetts, likes to take credit for the first Thanksgiving, for example, local history experts beg to differ.—
Amy Galo,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Police urge anyone with information to call KCPD detectives at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.—
Rashad Alexander,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
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Yoon’s wife urges me to open the gift.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Verb
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But his promise to visit Bolduc’s widow nagged at him.—
Kevin Maurer,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
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That process, too, has nagged at her confidence and her resolve.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
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People can decide for themselves whether Wembanyama’s anthem conduct bothers them.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
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But at the same time, the people that are bothering me are showing us love.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Brunson was bumped, covered and hounded by San Antonio’s arsenal of young defensive-minded guards.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2026
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Members of the media followed the family constantly, hounding them for quotes.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
6 June 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 13 Jun. 2026.
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