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
  • The 74-year-old had been convicted of stabbing his wife to death in 1992.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 16 July 2026
  • The department’s homicide detectives and crime scene investigators took over the stabbing investigation, collecting evidence and questioning witnesses.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • There is a competitive theory behind picking a quiet Tennessee city over a host metropolis.
    — Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Usually, that means picking a more premium seating section or opting for an aisle or window seat, depending on preference.
    — Lindsey Campbell, Travel + Leisure, 17 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
  • 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
  • Where there’s normally carpet or hardwood floors, there are rocks, puncturing bare feet with each step.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of puncturing
Verb
  • Collins can’t make the same pivot without piercing the brand that carried him this far.
    — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
  • The documentary feature Noga, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival last month and is currently making the film-festival rounds, is as piercing as that shriek.
    — Marisa Fox, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • Two days after the incident, a developer told the Wall Street Journal that the days of high-wire stunts—like pulling out cores and sticking extra floors on the roof—might belong to the past.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
  • Perrineau is weary, if not quite as wrecked as the car sticking halfway out of the far wall.
    — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 6 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 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pecking

Nglish: Translation of pecking for Spanish Speakers

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