as in picks at
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
kept pecking at their prodigal daughter to get off the couch and to start looking for a job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecks (at)
Verb
-
Dogs must be at least three months old, and dogs older than 12 months must be spayed or neutered.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026 -
Inspired by UConn, other schools in the state, including Eastern Connecticut State University, Central Connecticut State University and the University of Saint Joseph, host dogs almost every week.—
Mikayla Bunnell,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cher’s filing urges the court to appoint a temporary conservator to take control of Allman’s trust, his sole source of income.—
Meriam Bouarrouj,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The resolution urges the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) to plan and complete several environmental and water system studies before committing to serve data centers or large computing facilities.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fingal, a more scholarly type, begs to differ.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But Caitlin begs Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But in the final moments, when Carol is back in her coach seat on the plane, something nags at her.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As Thea’s former suitor, Tesman struggles to call her by her married name, a slip of the tongue that Hedda constantly needles him about.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Jake needles Harry about the past 50 years, but Harry can only offer scraps of history.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Pecks (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecks%20%28at%29. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
