peck

peck¹

P0138875 (pĕk)v. pecked, peck·ing, pecks v.tr.1. To strike with the beak or a pointed instrument.2. To make (a hole, for example) by striking repeatedly with the beak or a pointed instrument.3. To grasp and pick up with the beak: The bird pecked insects from the log.4. Informal To kiss briefly and casually.v.intr.1. To make strokes with the beak or a pointed instrument.2. To eat in small sparing bits; nibble: He pecked at his dinner.3. To make repeated criticisms; carp: pecked at the kitchen staff.n.1. a. A stroke or light blow with the beak or a pointed instrument.b. A mark or hole made by such a stroke.2. Informal A light quick kiss.

[Middle English pecken, probably variant of piken, to peck (perhaps influenced by Middle Low German pekken); see pick¹.]

peck²

P0138875 (pĕk)n.1. Abbr. pk.a. A unit of dry volume or capacity in the US Customary System equal to 8 quarts or approximately 537.6 cubic inches.b. A unit of dry volume or capacity in the British Imperial System equal to 8 quarts or approximately 554.8 cubic inches.2. A container holding or measuring a peck.3. Informal A large quantity; a lot: a peck of troubles.

[Middle English.]

peck

(pɛk) n1. (Units) a unit of dry measure equal to 8 quarts or one quarter of a bushel2. (Units) a container used for measuring this quantity3. a large quantity or number[C13: from Anglo-Norman, of uncertain origin]

peck

(pɛk) vb1. (when: intr, sometimes foll by at) to strike with the beak or with a pointed instrument2. (sometimes foll by: out) to dig (a hole) by pecking3. (tr) (of birds) to pick up (corn, worms, etc) by pecking4. (often foll by: at) to nibble or pick (at one's food)5. informal to kiss (a person) quickly and lightly6. (foll by: at) to nagn7. a quick light blow, esp from a bird's beak8. a mark made by such a blow9. informal a quick light kiss[C14: of uncertain origin; compare pick¹, Middle Low German pekken to jab with the beak]

Peck

(pɛk) n (Biography) Gregory. 1916–2003, US film actor; his films include Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Gunfighter (1950), The Big Country (1958), To Kill a Mockingbird (1963), The Omen (1976), and Other People's Money (1991)

peck¹

(pɛk)

n. 1. a dry measure of 8 quarts; the fourth part of a bushel, equal to 537.6 cubic inches (8.81 liters). Abbr.: pk 2. a container for measuring this quantity. 3. a considerable quantity: a peck of trouble. [1250–1300; Middle English pek < Anglo-French; ulterior orig. obscure]

peck²

(pɛk)

v.t. 1. to strike or pierce with the beak, as a bird does, or with some pointed instrument. 2. to make (a hole, puncture, etc.) by doing this. 3. to take (food) bit by bit, with or as if with the beak. v.i. 4. to make strokes with the beak or a pointed instrument. 5. peck at, a. to nibble indifferently at (food). b. to nag or carp at. n. 6. a quick stroke, as in pecking. 7. a hole or mark made by or as if by pecking. 8. a quick, almost impersonal kiss. [1300–50; Middle English pecke < Middle Dutch pecken; akin to pick¹]

Peck

a measured quantity of either dry or wet substance; a fourth part of a bushel; more generally, a considerable quantity or number.Examples: peck of ashes, 1710; of bees, 1713; of corn, 1386; of dirt, 1710; of kisses; of lies, 1539; of luck; of malt, 1789; of oatmeal, 1464; of oats, 1485; of pepper; of salt, 1603; of troubles, 1535.

peck

Past participle: pecked
Gerund: pecking

Imperative
peck
peck

Present
I peck
you peck
he/she/it pecks
we peck
you peck
they peck

Preterite
I pecked
you pecked
he/she/it pecked
we pecked
you pecked
they pecked

Present Continuous
I am pecking
you are pecking
he/she/it is pecking
we are pecking
you are pecking
they are pecking

Present Perfect
I have pecked
you have pecked
he/she/it has pecked
we have pecked
you have pecked
they have pecked

Past Continuous
I was pecking
you were pecking
he/she/it was pecking
we were pecking
you were pecking
they were pecking

Past Perfect
I had pecked
you had pecked
he/she/it had pecked
we had pecked
you had pecked
they had pecked

Future
I will peck
you will peck
he/she/it will peck
we will peck
you will peck
they will peck

Future Perfect
I will have pecked
you will have pecked
he/she/it will have pecked
we will have pecked
you will have pecked
they will have pecked

Future Continuous
I will be pecking
you will be pecking
he/she/it will be pecking
we will be pecking
you will be pecking
they will be pecking

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been pecking
you have been pecking
he/she/it has been pecking
we have been pecking
you have been pecking
they have been pecking

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been pecking
you will have been pecking
he/she/it will have been pecking
we will have been pecking
you will have been pecking
they will have been pecking

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been pecking
you had been pecking
he/she/it had been pecking
we had been pecking
you had been pecking
they had been pecking

Conditional
I would peck
you would peck
he/she/it would peck
we would peck
you would peck
they would peck

Past Conditional
I would have pecked
you would have pecked
he/she/it would have pecked
we would have pecked
you would have pecked
they would have pecked

peck

(pk) A unit of dry volume. 1 peck = 2 gal.

Peck

A unit of volume measure. One peck is two gallons, or a quarter bushel.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	peck - (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money"good deal, great deal, hatful, lot, muckle, passel, mickle, mint, quite a little, slew, spate, tidy sum, wad, stack, raft, mountain, pile, plenty, mass, batch, heap, deal, flock, pot, mess, sightlarge indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitudedeluge, flood, inundation, torrent - an overwhelming number or amount; "a flood of requests"; "a torrent of abuse"haymow - a mass of hay piled up in a barn for preservation
	2.	peck - a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 2 gallonsBritish capacity unit, Imperial capacity unit - a unit of measure for capacity officially adopted in the British Imperial System; British units are both dry and wetbushel - a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 pecks
	3.	peck - a United States dry measure equal to 8 quarts or 537.605 cubic inchesUnited States dry unit - a unit of measurement of capacity for dry substances officially adopted in the United States Customary Systemdry quart, quart - a United States dry unit equal to 2 pints or 67.2 cubic inchesbushel - a United States dry measure equal to 4 pecks or 2152.42 cubic inches
Verb	1.	peck - hit lightly with a picking motion beak, pickstrike - deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon; "The teacher struck the child"; "the opponent refused to strike"; "The boxer struck the attacker dead"
	2.	peck - eat by pecking at, like a birdpick upeat - take in solid food; "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?"
	3.	peck - kiss lightlysmackbuss, kiss, snog, osculate - touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.; "The newly married couple kissed"; "She kissed her grandfather on the forehead when she entered the room"
	4.	peck - eat like a bird; "The anorexic girl just picks at her food"peck at, pick ateat - take in solid food; "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?"
	5.	peck - bother persistently with trivial complaints; "She nags her husband all day long"hen-peck, nagkvetch, plain, quetch, complain, sound off, kick - express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness; "My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot to kick about"

peck

verb1. pick, bite, hit, strike, tap, poke, jab, prick, nibble The crow pecked his hand.2. kiss, plant a kiss, give someone a smacker, give someone a peck or kiss She walked up to him and pecked him on the cheek.noun1. kiss, smacker, osculation (rare) He gave me a peck on the lips.

peck¹

verbInformal. To touch or caress with the lips, especially as a sign of passion or affection:buss, kiss, osculate, smack.Slang: smooch.phrasal verb
peck atTo scold or find fault with constantly:carp at, fuss at, nag, pick on.Informal: henpeck.nounInformal. The act or an instance of kissing:buss, kiss, osculation, smack, smacker.Slang: smooch.

peck²

noun1. Informal. A great deal:abundance, mass, mountain, much, plenty, profusion, wealth, world.Informal: barrel, heap, lot, pack, pile.Regional: power, sight.2. Informal. An indeterminately great amount or number:jillion, million (often used in plural), multiplicity, ream, trillion.Informal: bushel, gob (often used in plural), heap (often used in plural), load (often used in plural), lot, oodles, passel, scad (often used in plural), slew, wad, zillion.

Translations

匆匆一吻匆忙地吻吃一点点啄

peck

(pek) verb1. (of birds) to strike or pick up with the beak, usually in order to eat. The birds pecked at the corn; The bird pecked his hand.啄2. to eat very little. She just pecks (at) her food.吃一点点3. to kiss quickly and briefly. She pecked her mother on the cheek.匆忙地吻 noun1. a tap or bite with the beak. The bird gave him a painful peck on the hand.啄2. a brief kiss. a peck on the cheek.匆匆一吻ˈpeckish adjective rather hungry. I feel a bit peckish.饥饿的

peck

henpeck (someone)

Of a woman, to thoroughly and continually dominate, intimidate, bully, or browbeat (a man), especially her boyfriend, partner, or husband. Janet is usually so nice, but when she's around her husband, she just henpecks him relentlessly.See also: henpeck

henpecked

Of a man, thoroughly and continually dominated, intimidated, bullied, or browbeaten by a woman, especially his wife or girlfriend. John used to be the most adventurous, spontaneous guy I knew, but since he got married, he's become totally henpecked. I hope I never become some henpecked husband like my father was.See also: henpeck

pecking order

The hierarchy within a group or organization. There's definitely a pecking order in this company, and you're not going to do well if you don't know your place.See also: order, peck

bushel and a peck (and some in a gourd)

A lot. This phrase is typically used to emphasize how much one loves someone else. My darling wife, I love you a bushel and a peck.See also: and, bushel, peck

peck at

To eat something at a slow, unenthusiastic pace in very small bites. I wonder if Mary isn't feeling well—she only pecked at her dinner. He sat moodily at the table, pecking at the plate of vegetables his parent put in front of him.See also: peck

peck (something) out

1. Literally, to remove something by forcibly and violently pecking at it. We were horrified to see that the birds had pecked his eyes out by the time we arrived.2. To type something on a typewriter or keyboard by slowly and carefully finding and hitting individual keys. This is why I write everything by hand—it took me nearly half an hour to peck out a formal response on this damned computer! I sat staring off into space before I pecked three words out: "This is rubbish."See also: out, peck

Peck's bad boy

Someone who engages in dangerous, mischievous, or lewd behavior. An allusion to a fictional character created by George Wilbur Peck in 1883. His reputation as Peck's bad boy was well known throughout the company, but the fact that he made us so much money made him untouchable for nearly 40 years. It baffles me that we still romanticize this image of Peck's bad boy—someone sticking their middle finger up at common decency—as if it's something we should admire.See also: bad, boy

peck up

Of a bird, to peck something in order to eat it. A noun or pronoun can be used between "peck" and "up." I love scattering seeds on our back porch and watching all sorts of different birds come by to peck them up. A little finch hopped over and began pecking up the crumbs from our sandwiches.See also: peck, up

pec

Short for "pectoral muscle," one of the two large, flat muscles that go across one's chest. Typically used in the plural. Wow, my pecs are really sore after that workout!

bushel and a peck (and some in a gourd)

Rur. a great deal or amount. (Usually used to answer the question, "How much do you love me?") Mary: How much do you love me? Tom: A bushel and a peck and some in a gourd. We knew that Grandpa loved us a bushel and a peck.See also: and, bushel, peck

If that don't beat a pig a-pecking!

Rur. That's amazing! Tom: A Republican won the Senate seat! Jane: If that don't beat a pig a-pecking! Mary: Jim lost twenty pounds in one month. Charlie: If that don't beat a pig a-pecking!See also: beat, if, pig, that

peck at something

1. Lit. [for a bird] to poke someone or something with its beak. The bird pecked at the ground, snatching up the ants. I tried to hold on to the bird but it pecked at me hard. 2. Fig. [for someone] to eat just a little bit of something, being as picky as a bird. Are you well, Betty? You are just pecking at your food. Please don't peck at your food. You should eat everything.See also: peck

peck something up

[for a bird] to eat something up by pecking at it. The chickens pecked all the grain up. The birds pecked up the grain.See also: peck, up

You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.

Prov. No one can escape eating a certain amount of dirt on his or her food.; Everyone must endure a number of unpleasant things in his or her lifetime. (Often said to console someone who has eaten some dirt or had to endure something unpleasant.) Ellen: Oh, no! I forgot to wash this apple before I took a bite out of it. Fred: You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.See also: before, die, dirt, eat, have, of, peck

pecking order

The hierarchy of authority in a group, as in On a space mission, the astronauts have a definite pecking order. This expression, invented in the 1920s by biologists who discovered that domestic poultry maintain such a hierarchy with one bird pecking another of lower status, was transferred to human behavior in the 1950s. See also: order, peck

the pecking order

COMMON The pecking order in a group is the order of importance of the people or things within that group. Offices came in 29 sizes, according to your place in the company's pecking order. The British Medical Association issued a warning that doctors may be forced to draw up a pecking order of operations. Note: When groups of hens are kept together, a `pecking order' tends to form. This means that a stronger bird can peck a weaker bird without being pecked in return. See also: order, peck

pecking order

a hierarchy of status observed among a group of people or animals. The expression originally referred literally to chickens and other birds, the more dominant of which in a group get to feed before the others.See also: order, peck

a/the ˈpecking order

(informal, often humorous) the way a group is organized, with some members being more important or powerful than others: You don’t get a company car unless you’re pretty high up in the pecking order.This expression was first used by a scientist in the 1920s after studying groups of birds; he noticed there was an order when birds were feeding, with the strongest birds eating first.See also: order, peck

peck at

v. To eat something unenthusiastically by taking small bites: The sullen child only pecked at his carrots.See also: peck

peck out

v. To remove something by pecking: The birds pecked the worms out of the apples. The vultures pecked out the dead rabbit's innards.See also: out, peck

pecks

and pecs and pects (pɛk(t)s) n. the pectoral muscles. (From weightlifting and bodybuilding.) Look at the pecks on that guy! See also: peck

pecking order

The hierarchy of authority in a group. The term was invented by biologists in the 1920s to characterize the behavior of hens, who established their barnyard authority by one bird pecking another of lower status. It was transferred to human behavior in the mid-1900s. Lawrence Durrell maintained, “There is a pecking order among diplomats as there is among poultry” (Justine, 1957).See also: order, peck

Peck's bad boy

A mischief maker. “Peck's Bad Boy'' was the nickname of Hennery, a character created by 19th-century newspaperman George Wilbur Peck. Hennery played pranks on friends, neighbors, and especially his alcoholic father. These stories were later compiled into books, and the character of Hennery appeared in a number of early motion pictures. The phrase “Peck's bad boy'' was applied to someone, usually a youngster, whose impish behavior plagued those around him.See also: bad, boy

peck

peck 1

peck 2

peck

peck

Peck

peck1

peck2

Peck

peck

peck

Peck

peck

peck 1

peck 2

peck

peck

henpeck (someone)

henpecked

pecking order

bushel and a peck (and some in a gourd)

peck at

peck (something) out

Peck's bad boy

peck up

pec

bushel and a peck (and some in a gourd)

If that don't beat a pig a-pecking!

peck at something

peck something up

You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.

pecking order

the pecking order

pecking order

a/the ˈpecking order

peck at

peck out

pecks

pecking order

Peck's bad boy

peck

peck:

peck

peck

peck

Peck

peck

peck

Peck

Peck

Peck

PECK

peck

Synonyms for peck

verb pick

Synonyms

verb kiss

Synonyms

noun kiss

Synonyms

Synonyms for peck

verb to touch or caress with the lips, especially as a sign of passion or affection

Synonyms

phrase peck at: to scold or find fault with constantly

Synonyms

noun the act or an instance of kissing

Synonyms

noun a great deal

Synonyms

noun an indeterminately great amount or number

Synonyms

Synonyms for peck

noun (often followed by 'of') a large number or amount or extent

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 2 gallons

Related Words

noun a United States dry measure equal to 8 quarts or 537

Related Words

verb hit lightly with a picking motion

peck¹

peck²

peck¹

peck²

peck¹

peck²