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
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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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Deer And Rabbit Damage Deer have a frustrating habit of nibbling the flowers off of hydrangeas.
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To avoid your dog nibbling on dangerous plants altogether, take the following steps.
Verb
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Ditto for the subsequent scene of young Santa stabbing her mother to death.
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Harrison Jamal Greer, 54, is charged with murder after allegedly stabbing and killing a man.
Verb
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One of the first tips for picking the perfect melon is its weight.
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That would take the power of picking your replacement out of the hands of voters.
Verb
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The audience groaned, while Vergara and Mel B screamed for Strange to stop jabbing at his partner through the box.
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The threats just keep jabbing at America’s borders.
Verb
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As Molloy gradually succeeds in puncturing Lestat’s aloof, arrogant outer shell, his sound correspondingly shifts from assaultive punk to more contemplative ballads.
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Better known by her pseudonymous social media handle Jerry Gogosian, Helphenstein left behind a complicated legacy, puncturing art world pieties with both satirical and serious memes and occasionally making inflammatory statements.
Verb
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On the other hand, however, take a step back and the world-building is jaw-dropping; on a big screen, Rogue Trooper is almost overwhelming, and Barnard becomes an almost godlike presence by the end with his piercing white eyes (don’t worry, it’s explained).
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If discovering tiny insect casings or sticky residue, this often indicates those insects with piercing and sucking mouthparts that slowly siphon sap from plants, depleting their ability to feed themselves through photosynthesis.
Verb
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No other airline has plans to compete with the carrier, sticking instead to traditional one-stop gateways, like Dubai, Los Angeles, or Singapore.
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Those who cannot twerk usually fall back on sticking their tongues down each other’s throats, because this is Love Island, after all.
Verb
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First, play was allowed to restart, which was previously a hard stop on any VAR intervention — except violent conduct and spitting at someone.
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That's when LaPalme hit her in the face to prevent her from spitting again, a recording from the deputy's patrol camera showed.
Cite this Entry
“Pecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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