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
-
Growing clover in your yard can distract deer and rabbits from nibbling on other garden plants.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 May 2026
-
The parrot has since moved from Auteuil’s head to a perch on his shoulder, nibbling at his ear with complete proprietary confidence.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Authorities allege Medina was involved in a May 19 stabbing at Narragansett Town Beach as hundreds of teenagers packed the area.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Also Thursday, Florida is scheduled to execute Richard Knight for the 2000 stabbing deaths of a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old daughter.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The doctors are meticulous about the medical side of operations, spending two years cherry picking the best new technologies and recruiting a team of doctors and therapists from some of Europe’s most respected spas, including Lanserhof, Chenot, and the Mayr clinics.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
-
No one was picking the Dons in this one.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
Verb
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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
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In the 10 months since, Colbert has not held back, regularly jabbing his network, its new owners’ cozy relationship with the president and reports that his show was hemorrhaging $40 million a year.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Verb
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With the stick shortened, Sweets went into surgery, where vets discovered that the stick had gone into and through the dog's abdomen, puncturing the abdominal wall on the other side, but not the skin.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Shloime Rand, 34, was stabbed in the chest outside a synagogue, puncturing his lung, and Norman Shine, 76, who was wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap, was stabbed in the neck at a bus stop.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The Diotima Quartet gave an exacting, piercing account of the work.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
In this piercing account of the American Dream in tatters, the magnitude of that dimension feels appropriate, echoing the currents of betrayal, fear and death that course through the film like rivulets of blood.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Return to a boil, gently stirring the gnocchi to prevent sticking.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
18 May 2026
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Still, after sticking Annie so deeply in the psychological trenches, gesturing to the light at the end of the tunnel is also welcome.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
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The picture books contain only a few images of the white supremacist mob looking incredibly mild—not spitting, not with N-word placards or the coffin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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