pecking

verb

present participle of peck
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stabbing
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 pecking Fair Oaks’ famous chickens roam the property, pecking up shreds of lettuce that inevitably fall from the sandwiches. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking
  1. nibbling
  2. stabbing
  3. picking
  4. jabbing
  5. puncturing
  6. piercing
  7. sticking
  8. spitting
Verb
  • While nibbling deer and pesky rodents might require one approach, something else, like snakes, will require another.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
  • Other snaps saw the Selena actress lounging in silk pajamas, celebrating her kids' graduations, eating a huge croissant, nibbling on a chocolate bar in bed, and posing for a selfie on a couch.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 26 June 2026
Definition of nibbling
Verb
  • Video clips of Guarino performing the Endo One procedure — which involves repeatedly stabbing the skin with a thin, cylindrical rod, releasing a red laser — are posted regularly on his and EvoSkin’s Instagram accounts.
    — Ella Moore July 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
  • Holly returns to save her dad by violently stabbing and killing Crowley, but Voit decides to take the fall for Holly and is put back behind bars.
    — Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • Still, as the season’s profits illustrate, carefully picking home run props can leave bettors in the black.
    — Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
  • Lara is a sweet and relatable protagonist, and her firm dedication to picking herself up and trying to pave her own life after heartbreak is a strong hook to propel the rest of the story forward.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026
Definition of picking
Verb
  • The show ushered in a new era of winking, elbow-jabbing meta-musicals.
    — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The audience groaned, while Vergara and Mel B screamed for Strange to stop jabbing at his partner through the box.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026
Definition of jabbing
Verb
  • As the spacecraft closed in, the video follows Mars steadily expanding to reveal numerous craters puncturing its surface, the ancient double-ringed Huygens crater and the south polar ice cap before receding in the spacecraft's rearview.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 22 July 2026
  • On June 3, Walden went to the hospital, where a CT scan revealed the metal bristle had become lodged in his bowel and had begun puncturing his intestine.
    — Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of puncturing
Verb
  • O’Connor’s face filled the screen, her crystal-blue eyes piercing me in my own living room.
    — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 25 July 2026
  • King said Maria Tash, the piercing and jewelry brand that anchors the space, has had a record year.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 July 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • Everyone looks glowing and glamorous, despite sticking generally to a dutiful antiquities theme.
    — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • When an outside threat increases, various mammal species will respond by sticking close together.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026
Definition of sticking
Verb
  • And then there were watermelon-eating and seed-spitting contests and old fashioned sack races.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026
  • Some three hours into the four-hour drive, the road plunged into a dizzying scribble of hairpin bends, eventually spitting us out into the Colca Valley, where, at the end of 2023, Andean pitched up Puqio.
    — Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
Definition of spitting

Phrases Containing pecking

Browse Nearby Words

pecker
pecking
pecking (at)
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Cite this Entry

“Pecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pecking

Nglish: Translation of pecking for Spanish Speakers

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