1
as in nibbling
to eat reluctantly and in small bites
found out that fashion models never really eat—they just peck at small meals in expensive restaurants
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2
as in stabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
the bird continued to peck the suet cake intently
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Recent Examples of pecking
There Are No Foolproof Methods No single technique will completely prevent birds from pecking on your fruits.
—
Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 24 May 2026
Nyjer thistle seeds are also very small, and many birds will love pecking them off the sides or roof of your edible birdhouse.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2026
The siblings have been caught pecking and pushing each other during a feeding session.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Choose cloth that is dense enough to prevent the birds from pecking for seeds.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
The scene is right out of the 1950s with students pecking away at manual typewriters, the machines dinging at the end of each line.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Our guy is just pecking away at his little typewriter or writing his memories in longhand.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The lead stretched to 12 early in the third quarter, but slowly and painfully for Parker, the hosts, with Archer attacking the glass, kept pecking away.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Still, Lamb said lovebirds, like other parrots, can sometimes be violent with each other, screaming and pecking one another with beaks powerful enough to crack open seeds.
—ABC News, 13 Feb. 2026
Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 24 May 2026
Nyjer thistle seeds are also very small, and many birds will love pecking them off the sides or roof of your edible birdhouse.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2026
The siblings have been caught pecking and pushing each other during a feeding session.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Choose cloth that is dense enough to prevent the birds from pecking for seeds.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
The scene is right out of the 1950s with students pecking away at manual typewriters, the machines dinging at the end of each line.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Our guy is just pecking away at his little typewriter or writing his memories in longhand.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The lead stretched to 12 early in the third quarter, but slowly and painfully for Parker, the hosts, with Archer attacking the glass, kept pecking away.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Still, Lamb said lovebirds, like other parrots, can sometimes be violent with each other, screaming and pecking one another with beaks powerful enough to crack open seeds.
—ABC News, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking
Verb
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To avoid your dog nibbling on dangerous plants altogether, take the following steps.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
-
Eight neighbors, including Pugliese, sit around the coffee table sipping wine and nibbling on cheese cubes and fish dip, a black cat named Aura circling their ankles.—
Jessica Blough,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Advertisement In the fight, Ruben begins to strangle Niall, though Niall protects himself by stabbing Ruben in the side with a knife.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
29 May 2026
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The 23-year-old man was suicidal and held a butcher’s knife to his own throat before charging at officers and stabbing both Officer Mark Moore and a police dog at an Aurora apartment complex.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The parliamentary election will decide the next government, with the winning party picking the prime minister.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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There is not one set rule on picking a captain, especially for a World Cup.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The threats just keep jabbing at America’s borders.—
Donald G. McNeil Jr,
Washington Post,
1 June 2026
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The president has kept up his criticism of Leo, jabbing the pope in a May 4 interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the eve of Rubio’s visit.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Officials say there's still time to mitigate the explosion by puncturing Timmy's carcass or cutting the vessel open completely.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
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Memories linger from past hurricanes with limbs puncturing roofs, car windows smashed and lives disrupted.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Verb
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It’s designed to deter unwanted encounters by attracting attention with a piercing siren and strobe light when the top is pulled.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2026
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My laugh is loud, if not to say piercing.—
Megan McArdle,
Washington Post,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The sun’s connection to Saturn shows that sticking it out was the right call.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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That's not to say fundamental investors should be ostriches, sticking their heads in the ground and avoiding the big picture and market trends.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
Verb
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In my experience, ChatGPT is still a pretty bad writer and can’t hack the existential risk involved in spitting out a compelling thesis.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
26 May 2026
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The man above is accused of spitting an unknown liquid on a CTA passenger on April, 19, 2026.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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