variants
also peck order
as in hierarchy
the way in which people or things in a group or organization are placed in a series of levels with different importance or status
As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.
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Recent Examples of pecking order
My place in the pecking order has forever changed.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 28 Sep. 2025
The investment highlights how the fortunes of the two companies have switched atop Silicon Valley’s pecking order as a result of the AI explosion ushered in by OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
That one of the biggest and most economically central industries got outmaneuvered by a sector that was, until recently, on the fringes speaks to the new pecking order.
—Rachel Witkowski, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Unless one of them emerges largely unscathed, the winner of the Mountain West could be right at the top of the Group of Five pecking order.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 28 Sep. 2025
The investment highlights how the fortunes of the two companies have switched atop Silicon Valley’s pecking order as a result of the AI explosion ushered in by OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
That one of the biggest and most economically central industries got outmaneuvered by a sector that was, until recently, on the fringes speaks to the new pecking order.
—Rachel Witkowski, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Unless one of them emerges largely unscathed, the winner of the Mountain West could be right at the top of the Group of Five pecking order.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking order
Noun
-
Shot clandestinely and set for the most part in one somber Tehran apartment, Sacred Fig depicts a family of four whose patriarch, Iman (Misagh Zare), has just been named an investigating judge — a promotion that promises him both a bigger flat and a better place in Iran’s judicial hierarchy.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
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Saturday’s teamsheet saw the stars align on the predicament United’s hierarchy wanted to avoid this summer.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Charlotte entered the day with a -7 turnover margin, ranking 129th out of 134 FBS schools.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The ranking leans heavily on the chances for a coach to succeed there.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pecking order.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20order. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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