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
  • Brennan was previously convicted of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon after stabbing her 76-year-old mother to death with a butcher knife in Hollywood in 2014, according to a probable cause affidavit.
    — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Sanders admitted to stabbing her sons to death in February 2018.
    — Mike Toole, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • The casualties of picking wrong fill the YC fintech graveyard.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • As the back-and-forth plays out between the former couple, Senate Republicans are increasingly picking a side.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 6 Aug. 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
  • It’s been a classic staple over decades of British comedy, which from Basil Fawlty to David Brent has rejoiced in puncturing pomposity to reveal idiocy and incompetence.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Think of it as a stamp that presses into the top layer of your skin, and deposits pigment instead of puncturing the skin thousands of times.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of puncturing
Verb
  • The woman eventually managed to escape and ran to a neighbor for help, WPLG reported, adding that her piercing screams were captured on home surveillance video.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The company has been piercing girls and their mothers for nearly five decades with 131 million ears pierced to date.
    — Sharon Edelson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • Randy Orton returned for the first time since his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42, sticking Rhodes with an RKO and allowing Punk to win with his fifth GTS.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Workers can also be seen standing nearby and don't appear to notice the people sticking their hands in the water.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of sticking
Verb
  • Unfortunately for Miami, Suarez, who has been on fire, is suspended for the next six Leagues Cups games for spitting at a Seattle Sounders staff member after the 2025 Final last August.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Starship is designed to launch 60 Starlink V3 satellites at a time, spitting them out through a slit-like payload bay door like a giant PEZ candy dispenser.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 25 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 11 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pecking for Spanish Speakers

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