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
Despite them being family, there was a firm hierarchy in place, as Maul remained above Savage in the pecking order, and both brothers accepted it.
—
Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 19 May 2026
Despite the initial hurdles, Hale persevered in a house full of toxic haters and fought her way back from the very bottom of the pecking order to become the first Black woman to win Big Brother and the show’s America’s Favorite Player award in one fell swoop.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Kirby Smart played a significant part in putting and keeping the SEC at the top of the college football pecking order.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The pecking order of capitalism favors the few at the very top.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 19 May 2026
Despite the initial hurdles, Hale persevered in a house full of toxic haters and fought her way back from the very bottom of the pecking order to become the first Black woman to win Big Brother and the show’s America’s Favorite Player award in one fell swoop.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Kirby Smart played a significant part in putting and keeping the SEC at the top of the college football pecking order.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The pecking order of capitalism favors the few at the very top.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking order
Noun
-
In the series’ hierarchy of importance, love comes before work, but friendship, as the Spice Girls sang, is the real prize.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
That requires a sophisticated understanding of organizational hierarchy.—
Jerry Shu,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Toney’s high school coach Mike Smith, who has developed more than his share of five-star recruits, including Patrick Surtain, Sony Michel and Brian Burns, suspects Toney didn’t get his due from the ranking systems because they’re based heavily on measurables.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
The Canadian hip-hop musician charted 27 smashes on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 2018, as a number of songs from his album Scorpion reached the ranking at the same time.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pecking order.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20order. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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