| Front | peck |
|---|---|
| Back | peck verb, noun BrE /pek/ NAmE /pek/ verb verb forms word origin 1 [intransitive, transitive] (of birds) to move the beak forward quickly and hit or bite sth ~ (at sth) A robin was pecking at crumbs on the ground. Hens pecked around in the yard. ~ sth A bird had pecked a hole in the sack. ~ sth out Vultures had pecked out the dead goat's eyes. 2 [transitive] (informal) to kiss sb lightly and quickly ~ sb on sth He pecked her on the cheek as he went out. ~ sth She pecked his cheek. a/the ˈpecking order (informal, often humorous) the order of importance in relation to one another among the members of a group hierarchy New Zealand is at the top of the pecking order of rugby nations. to be first in the pecking order ˈpeck at sth to eat only a very small amount of a meal because you are not hungry pick at She sat nervously pecking at her food. noun word origin example bank 1 (informal) a quick kiss He gave her a friendly peck on the cheek. 2 an act of pecking sb/sth The budgerigar gave a quick peck at the seed. |
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