as in picked 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 pecked (at)
Verb
-
The 26-year-old has been Arsenal’s captain since the summer of 2022, but in August, Adams urged Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to strip the Norway international of the Arsenal captaincy and hand the role to Declan Rice.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025 -
Chad Bauman, executive director at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, urged the committee to reject the funding allocations in the hopes of obtaining more money for the theater company.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At one point, there were so many volunteers flooding the region that officials from the Red Cross Nashville Chapter begged those who were not trained in disaster zones not to hike in—and instead, began offering safety classes for those determined to help.—
Angele Latham,
The Tennessean,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Her freshman feats begged the obvious question.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
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
“Pecked (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecked%20%28at%29. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share