peck

¹

[ pek ]

verb (used with object)

1. to strike or indent with the beak, as a bird does, or with some pointed instrument, especially with quick, repeated movements.
2. to make (a hole, puncture, etc.) by such strokes; pierce.
3. to take (food) bit by bit, with or as with the beak.

verb (used without object)

1. to make strokes with the beak or a pointed instrument.

noun

1. a quick stroke, as in pecking.
2. a hole or mark made by or as by pecking.
3. a quick, almost impersonal kiss:

   a peck on the cheek.

4. (in timber) incipient decay from fungi, occurring in isolated spots.
5. pecks. Also peckings. Slang. food; grub.

verb phrase

1. 1. to nibble indifferently or unenthusiastically at (food).
   2. to nag or carp at:

      Stop pecking at me, I'm doing the best I can.

peck

²

[ pek ]

noun

1. a dry measure of 8 quarts; the fourth part of a bushel, equal to 537.6 cubic inches (8.81 liters).
2. a container for measuring this quantity. : pk, pk.
3. a considerable quantity:

   a peck of trouble.

Peck

³

[ pek ]

noun

1. Annie Smith, 1850–1935, U.S. mountain climber.
2. Gregory, 1916–2003, U.S. actor.

peck

¹

/ pɛk /

verb

1. whenintr, sometimes foll by at to strike with the beak or with a pointed instrument
2. trsometimes foll byout to dig (a hole) by pecking
3. tr (of birds) to pick up (corn, worms, etc) by pecking
4. introften foll byat to nibble or pick (at one's food)
5. informal.
   to kiss (a person) quickly and lightly
6. intrfoll byat to nag

noun

1. a quick light blow, esp from a bird's beak
2. a mark made by such a blow
3. informal.
   a quick light kiss

Peck

²

/ pɛk /

noun

1. PeckGregory19162003MUSFILMS AND TV: actor 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)

peck

³

/ pɛk /

noun

1. a unit of dry measure equal to 8 quarts or one quarter of a bushel
2. a container used for measuring this quantity
3. a large quantity or number

Other Words From

• un·pecked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of peck¹

1300–50; Middle English pekken, peke, from Middle Dutch pecken, Middle Low German pekken; akin to pick ¹

Origin of peck²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pek(ke); of uncertain origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of peck¹

C14: of uncertain origin; compare pick ¹, Middle Low German pekken to jab with the beak

Origin of peck²

C13: from Anglo-Norman, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

At times, the episodes sprawl so much that it can be hard to keep track of how we got from John Wayne to Peck’s own home movies to the Haitian Revolution to the Irish being seen as “apes” to Alexis de Tocqueville writing about the Trail of Tears.

From Vox

In an essay film, the goal is the same — to let us move along Peck’s thought paths, tracing the connections he sees.

From Vox

Viewers who’ve seen that film will recognize Peck’s hand in this one.

From Vox

Peck spends four hours scrupulously laying out that case, and by the end it’s undeniable.

From Vox

Peck doesn’t rely on tired visual tropes or techniques that would make it easy to just put on the show in the background while you’re doing something else.

From Vox

But not until Gregory Peck is humiliated and walks out do we cut high and long to show his exit.

From The Daily Beast

We see Peck's character change and at the same time we see the awesome size of the forces he's up against.

From The Daily Beast

Digital birds that peck you to pieces, a disabled graffiti master who works by brainwaves.

From The Daily Beast

Michael Peck is a contributing writer at Foreign Policy Magazine and a writer for the War is Boring defense blog.

From The Daily Beast

Gregory Peck was a gentleman and Horton Foote, the great Texas playwright, was always on the set.

From The Daily Beast

I should judge that a peck of corn is about the average product of a day's work through all this region.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Peck leaned over the corpse, revealing none of the repulsion that Ward was sure he would exhibit.

From Project Gutenberg

By now Mr. Peck had sterilized the glass with the alcohol and was prepared to make his test.

From Project Gutenberg

"Six, six and one-eighth in his stocking feet, to be exact," Mr. Peck corrected.

From Project Gutenberg

"A machine has stopped here at the side of the road quite recently," Mr. Peck offered, pointing to the tire marks in the dust.

From Project Gutenberg