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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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
Except for a few children kicking a ball and some chickens pecking the ground, the village seemed almost deserted.
—
Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 5 Nov. 2025
After Ohtani faltered, the game was the Blue Jays’ to lose, but the Dodgers kept pecking away.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Choose cloth that is dense enough to prevent the birds from pecking for seeds.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 5 Nov. 2025
After Ohtani faltered, the game was the Blue Jays’ to lose, but the Dodgers kept pecking away.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Choose cloth that is dense enough to prevent the birds from pecking for seeds.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking
Verb
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Even shoppers nibbling on a slice of pizza seemed to be mocking him.—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
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But now social media is eating media-media’s lunch, nibbling into time that used to be spent watching TV and movies, particularly for younger generations, and refashioning itself less as a network and more as a broadcaster.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The trail through this passage is narrow and lined with signature desert plants — which is to say my path became a gauntlet of tiny, stabbing swords.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Jared Luecke, 33, is facing murder and tampering with evidence charges and is accused of repeatedly stabbing John Luecke with a knife and hitting him with a crowbar, according to court records.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Trump did get the jitters, but responded, as The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait noted, not by caving on health care but by ranting about the filibuster, ultimately picking a different way of doubling down.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
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Kellenberger pivoted, hiking north until the winter weather hit, and picking back up in March 2025.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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To their right, a woman raised her hand, jabbing her index finger forward and shouting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
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Fans have speculated that Ice and Cardi have been jabbing at one another.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pinjar thus starts out with Hamida’s disgust, puncturing notions of maternal affection revered in mainstream South Asian (and other) narratives.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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In a separate case in February, five Israeli reservists were charged over the beating and stabbing of a detainee, accused in an indictment of breaking the man’s ribs, puncturing his lung and tearing his rectum.—
Daniele Hamamdjian,
NBC news,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ask piercing questions that shift the way the community thinks as Mercury aligns with Pluto.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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During The Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion, Eva turned heads with her glowing makeup, perfectly sculpted cheekbones, and piercing eyes.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the humpback plunges back below the surface the remoras, also known as sucker fish, return to the whale, sticking their landings with the timing and precision of Olympic gymnasts.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Braid my hair at the top, sticking straight up.—
Stephanie Mansfield,
Vogue,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The clips allegedly showed Hanson urinating on food, spitting into containers, stomping on food items and rubbing them on his body before they were served to customers, per court documents and reporting by KCTV5, KMBC 9 and The Kansas City Star.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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So that time in the dugout, that time pregame, spitting seeds, the conversations that take place postgame, those are so crucial.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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