peer pressure

American  

[peer presh-er] / ˈpɪər ˈprɛʃ ər /

noun

1. social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.

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peer pressure Cultural  

1. The social influence a peer group exerts on its individual members, as each member attempts to conform to the expectations of the group. (See conformity.)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peer pressure

"It's some form of peer pressure," 24-year-old Haskell Austin tells the BBC.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

"There is peer pressure, because they've seen what their friends did. There is the expectation that has been planted with an affluent lifestyle. And there is the idea of showing effort," he said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

If all children are offline, the peer pressure disappears.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

I’m not going to succumb to any sort of weird peer pressure.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2025

Harris argued that the top-down influence of parents is overwhelmed by the grassroots effect of peer pressure, the blunt force applied each day by friends and schoolmates.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt