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
But while fashion’s presence in fine art is well established, its move into design—historically more niche and less headline-worthy—signals a shift in the aesthete’s pecking order.
—
Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
Over the next decade, the spirit remained mostly a curiosity—far down the pecking order of Americans’ drink preferences.
—Time, 4 June 2025
The pecking order of the Giants bullpen is mostly established.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 22 May 2025
As already detailed, there is an ‘overbooking’ in midfield with regards to Torre, who is way down the pecking order of a list of eight players for three positions which also includes Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Marcs Casado and Bernal, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
Over the next decade, the spirit remained mostly a curiosity—far down the pecking order of Americans’ drink preferences.
—Time, 4 June 2025
The pecking order of the Giants bullpen is mostly established.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 22 May 2025
As already detailed, there is an ‘overbooking’ in midfield with regards to Torre, who is way down the pecking order of a list of eight players for three positions which also includes Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Marcs Casado and Bernal, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking order
Noun
-
Structure: What happens to management hierarchies when AI coordinates most activities?—
Steven Wolfe Pereira,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Udoka’s equal-opportunity offense has been the most important aspect of the team’s collective growth, keeping a flat hierarchy while remaining confident and aggressive.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
Introducing the 2025 Fortune 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in America.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
6 July 2025
-
England currently stands at No. 5 in the FIFA world rankings after reaching as high as No. 2 last year.—
Molly Geary,
Sportico.com,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pecking order.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20order. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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