Synonyms of pecking order

pecking order

noun

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.

Related Words

• hierarchy
• ranking
• food chain
• ladder
• standing
• scale
• graduation
• distribution
• series
• disposal
• level
• sequence
• setup
• ordering
• arrangement
• situation
• status
• disposition
• degree
• array
• position
• station
• spot
• reaches
• place
• footing
• echelon
• rung

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pecking order

The karure finished at the top of the pecking order with more than 25,000 votes, beating previous winners the kākāpō, a large flightless parrot, and the kārearea, or New Zealand falcon, into second and third place, respectively. — Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026

But the wideouts had no drops against Arkansas State, showing progress and two players have begun to separate themselves in the pecking order. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 2026

So the pecking order there is worth monitoring with Mafah’s addition. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026

There’s a chance this doesn’t resolve at all until next spring or beyond, leaving two major Hollywood studios’ workforces, at just about every level of the pecking order, in limbo, wondering whether they’ll be canned in a few months. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026