variants
also peck order
as in hierarchy
the way in which people or things in a group or organization are placed in a series of levels with different importance or status
As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.
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Recent Examples of pecking order
Delp was often stuck at the back of the pecking order of Georgia’s pass-catching options, and never caught more than 24 passes in a single season in college.
—
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2026
There’s a clear pecking order when LeBron or when Luka and AR on the floor together with guys that are low usage players.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Anyone with a functioning pair of corneas can see that the San Francisco 49ers are currently looking up at the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West pecking order.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
Edmonds and Punch are the go-to options on offense, and having that clear pecking order is one reason TCU played its way off the bubble.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2026
There’s a clear pecking order when LeBron or when Luka and AR on the floor together with guys that are low usage players.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Anyone with a functioning pair of corneas can see that the San Francisco 49ers are currently looking up at the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West pecking order.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
Edmonds and Punch are the go-to options on offense, and having that clear pecking order is one reason TCU played its way off the bubble.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking order
Noun
-
Ultimately, the friction between AI innovation and consumer protection is creating a new hierarchy in retail.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Similarly to Goodall’s group of chimps, the community had experienced a change in the dominance hierarchy, which appeared to immediately affect how the chimps interacted with another, Sandel said.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His idea was that once teams were eliminated from playoff contention, wins from that point on would count towards draft ranking points, with teams that accumulate the most such points getting the highest draft picks.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
This year, the county’s overall quality of life ranking dropped to the lowest point in one survey’s 11-year history.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pecking order.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20order. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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