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peacock

1 American  
[pee-kok] / ˈpiˌkɒk /

noun

plural

peacocks,

plural

peacock

  1. the male of the peafowl distinguished by its long, erectile, greenish, iridescent tail coverts that are brilliantly marked with ocellated spots and that can be spread in a fan.

  2. any peafowl.

  3. a vain, self-conscious person.

  4. Astronomy. Peacock, the constellation Pavo.

verb (used without object)

  1. to make a vainglorious display; strut like a peacock.

Peacock 2 American  
[pee-kok] / ˈpiˌkɒk /

noun

  1. Thomas Love, 1785–1866, English poet and novelist.

peacock 1 British  
/ ˈpiːˌkɒk /

noun

  1. a male peafowl, having a crested head and a very large fanlike tail marked with blue and green eyelike spots

  2. another name for peafowl

  3. a vain strutting person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to display (oneself) proudly

  2. obsolete to acquire (the best pieces of land) in such a way that the surrounding land is useless to others

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Peacock 2 British  
/ ˈpiːˌkɒk /

noun

  1. Thomas Love. 1785–1866, English novelist and poet, noted for his satirical romances, including Headlong Hall (1816) and Nightmare Abbey (1818)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
peacock Idioms  

  1. see proud as a peacock.

Other Word Forms

  • peacockery noun
  • peacockish adjective
  • peacockishly adverb
  • peacockishness noun
  • peacockism noun
  • peacocky adjective
  • peahen noun

Etymology

Origin of peacock

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pecok, pocok equivalent to pe- ( Old English pēa “peafowl,” from Latin pāvōn-, stem of pavō peacock ( def. ) ) + cok ( Old English coc cock 1 )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

From her perch in New Orleans, she has also reported on natural disasters, the big business of Mardi Gras and her neighborhood peacock, Mr. P.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

This week, Rausch’s fellow Traitors, Housewives Candiace Dillard Bassett and Lisa Rinna, get to peacock in a massive crown and, for Rinna, a brooch as bewitching as it is deadly.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026

The peacock is often used to symbolise beauty and pride in Nigerian art, AFP reports.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025

Fish such as wolf fish, peacock bass, and South American lungfish were especially common, accompanied by reptiles including caimans and turtles, and mammals such as capybaras, pacas, and armadillos.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

Bright shades of blue, emerald, and soft brown, her gown and matching peacock mask had cost as much as a small house.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.