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
The new chassis and engine regulations will have a significant impact on the pecking order, given the potential to reset the grid next year.
—
Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
The differing strategies have far-reaching implications for the early pecking order in the nascent autonomous-driving space, which some analysts and investors say could become a multitrillion-dollar market over the next 15 years.
—Chris Kirkham, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025
My place in the pecking order has forever changed.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 28 Sep. 2025
In London, the gimlet-eyed boys managing the handle and the chances have hewed to the pecking order of the Saratoga morning line, but as in the cases of the last three contenders, the somewhat-hot second favorite, Magnitude, has had his odds run higher.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
The differing strategies have far-reaching implications for the early pecking order in the nascent autonomous-driving space, which some analysts and investors say could become a multitrillion-dollar market over the next 15 years.
—Chris Kirkham, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025
My place in the pecking order has forever changed.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 28 Sep. 2025
In London, the gimlet-eyed boys managing the handle and the chances have hewed to the pecking order of the Saratoga morning line, but as in the cases of the last three contenders, the somewhat-hot second favorite, Magnitude, has had his odds run higher.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking order
Noun
-
People who are rude or unaware with receptionists can poison your culture, create unnecessary hierarchies, and drive your best people to leave.—
Jessica Neal,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
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Their excavations revealed no signs of a social hierarchy, such as statues of specific individuals.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Category 5 is the highest ranking on the hurricane center's Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, reserved for hurricanes with winds of 157 mph or greater.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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The Miami Hurricanes’ 26-20 overtime loss to the SMU Mustangs on Saturday unsurprisingly resulted in a massive drop in their ranking in the AP top 25 poll.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pecking order.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20order. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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