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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peck (at)
Verb
-
Pet Food The internet at large may suggest using cat or dog food to feed birds in a pinch.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
6 Jan. 2026 -
The Police Department has long been dogged by accusations of racial discrimination against Black officers in its ranks.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Medvedev has repeatedly needled Trump on social media, and his post today could be an attempt to downplay the peace deal Trump signed.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
-
After nearly a decade of using the sign to needle the beer capital, Anheuser-Busch walked away from the ad and was replaced by Miller Brewing.—
Chris Foran,
jsonline.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Comments begged Kennedy to explain what caused her relationship to end.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
That begs the question of whether the Rockets need to upgrade at point guard, given their championship expectations.—
Ricardo Sandoval,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
During that visit, then Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo urged Francis in unusually frank terms to take concrete action.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Sauer urged the high court to issue its ruling quickly, noting that it is currently required to use Section 32 funding to send full SNAP benefits by tonight due to McConnell’s order.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But in the final moments, when Carol is back in her coach seat on the plane, something nags at her.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Rather than nagging or framing missteps as failures, create initiation rituals that cue the brain to shift into work mode.—
Ana Homayoun,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The clanging of dirty dishes being gathered in the back kitchen does not bother her.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Instagram and TikTok are littered with stories of women and their unsupportive husbands, men who can't remember their own children's birthdays or be bothered to take a weekend off from their golf hobby to spend time with their families.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
While Edgecombe is hounding Brunson on one end, Tyrese Maxey’s got 1,200 square feet of real estate at Madison Square Garden on the other.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Legal issues hound the New England Scofflaws, with WR Stefon Diggs and DT Christian Barmore both ensnared over domestic issues.—
Greg Cote
January 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Peck (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peck%20%28at%29. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share