PECKED Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

pecked

verb

past tense of peck

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stabbed

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object the bird continued to peck the suet cake intently

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Definition of nibbled

Verb

Two years later, Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Up to this point, Ghostface victims have been stabbed with Buck 120 hunting knives, crushed by garage doors, shot, electrocuted, and thrown off rooftops in ferocious, balls-to-the-wall Scream fashion.

— Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of stabbed

Verb

The needle accidentally punctured Taylor’s lung, causing chest pain and difficulty breathing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
The crash broke more than a dozen ribs, punctured her lungs and left her with spinal cord injuries that left her in a wheelchair.

— Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of punctured

Verb

And the beep, beep, beep of the garbage trucks preparing the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for sunrise and another day of tennis pierced the moments of silence.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
The bullet pierced the restaurant glass and left a diner with a minor injury.

— Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of pierced

Verb

Workers have been increasingly jabbed while on the job as needle-style medications — more specifically GLP-1s — have risen in popularity.

— Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of jabbed

Verb

Jeffrey Katzenberg, then a studio executive at Paramount Pictures, hand-picked the Happy Days star for the job, but at the time, Winkler had a bad feeling about accepting it.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
When picked, the department’s new chief will inherit a police force roiled by controversy and lawsuits in recent years.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of picked

Verb

Stolen bases often come less from beating a catcher’s throw and more from taking advantage of a pitcher who is either slow to the plate or stuck in a predictable delivery.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
That might have sounded like blasphemy just half a decade ago, but college football is always evolving, and Swinney is a man stuck in time.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of stuck

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peck (at)

pecked

pecked (at)

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“Pecked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecked. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pecked

verb

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