pecked

past tense of peck
1
as in nibbled
to eat reluctantly and in small bites found out that fashion models never really eat—they just peck at small meals in expensive restaurants

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pecked Pelicans swooped overhead and night herons, with spiky yellow feathers flying from their heads, goofily pecked the grass for insects. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026 As Cadeau pecked his way through the blue-and-maize confetti littering the court, Justin did a quick change. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026 Standing right behind the decoy, the bird cautiously sized up George, pecked him on the head, then jumped and used his spurs to knock George to the ground. Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026 The muscular gizzard contains grit pecked up from the chicken’s ground feeding, which is used to crush up the chicken’s food. Josh Miller, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026 The two teams faced off again on Sunday, and once again, the Birds pecked Kansas City, this time in a three-point victory. Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecked
Verb
  • Kikuko, her appetite sluggish, nibbled the bread bit by bit from the edges, all the while furtively watching her father.
    Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Threatened by the lack of water and nibbled by starving livestock, the trees that once formed a dense forest in the Somali region of Ethiopia are in danger, locals say.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • His parents were fatally stabbed in their home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood in December.
    Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2026
  • An Australian teen was stabbed repeatedly in an apparently largely unprovoked attack early Monday morning inside a McDonald's in New York City, police sources said.
    Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But her neo-yuppie fantasy is punctured when she’s rejected from a business-school summer program.
    Judy Berman, Time, 4 Aug. 2026
  • People didn’t buy the Old Hollywood Grande of the early 2020s; her headlines punctured the wholesome façade.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Last month, the image of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo being pinned to the ground, his torso pierced by a bullet, became the latest evocation of that history.
    Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • More than 180 bullets pierced, cracked or shattered windows in six buildings on campus.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu jabbed back against the prevailing narrative yesterday, saying she was never invited to participate in the WNBA’s 3-point contest this weekend.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Two of the points on the rear treble hook were jabbed deeply into the flesh on the outside of the pike’s mouth.
    Jack G. Mell, Outdoor Life, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • In the mid 1970s, most Americans picked beef as their meat of choice, followed by pork and then chicken.
    Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Raymond Boyd / Getty Images Sixteen jurors were picked for the trial, which is expected to last about a month.
    CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • While steeped in a ton of history, York is anything but stuck in the past.
    Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • You could be stuck at one weight on a leg exercise for a week because of a limited range of motion.
    Jesse Newell, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pecked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecked. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on pecked

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster