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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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.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 June 2026
-
To avoid your dog nibbling on dangerous plants altogether, take the following steps.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
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He was tried, convicted and sentenced to 35 years behind bars earlier this month for stabbing and killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
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He was sentenced to life in prison in 1994 for manslaughter, after fatally stabbing a man during a fight.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Its name comes from the fact that the fruit usually ripens and is ready for picking around this time of year.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
-
Callihan had trouble picking it up, allowing McCarthy to race around the bases and beat the relay throw home.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
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.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
-
The threats just keep jabbing at America’s borders.—
Donald G. McNeil Jr,
Washington Post,
1 June 2026
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.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
7 June 2026
-
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.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
In shallow water, children may fall or land on a dive stick, resulting in serious piercing injuries.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
12 June 2026
-
Telefone, the piercing 2016 breakout debut from Noname, turns ten this year, and the Chicago rapper is celebrating it with a late-summer anniversary trek.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Bobadilla then did the rest, inadvertently sticking his right foot in front of the ball and bouncing it by Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gil.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
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In fact, it can be rewarded for sticking the landing.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
13 June 2026
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.—
Ben Burrows,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
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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.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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