pecking

verb

present participle of peck
1
as in nibbling
to eat reluctantly and in small bites found out that fashion models never really eat—they just peck at small meals in expensive restaurants

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object the bird continued to peck the suet cake intently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pecking Fair Oaks’ famous chickens roam the property, pecking up shreds of lettuce that inevitably fall from the sandwiches. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 There Are No Foolproof Methods No single technique will completely prevent birds from pecking on your fruits. — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 24 May 2026 Nyjer thistle seeds are also very small, and many birds will love pecking them off the sides or roof of your edible birdhouse. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2026 The siblings have been caught pecking and pushing each other during a feeding session. — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026 Choose cloth that is dense enough to prevent the birds from pecking for seeds. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026 The scene is right out of the 1950s with students pecking away at manual typewriters, the machines dinging at the end of each line. — Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026 Our guy is just pecking away at his little typewriter or writing his memories in longhand. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026 The lead stretched to 12 early in the third quarter, but slowly and painfully for Parker, the hosts, with Archer attacking the glass, kept pecking away. — Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking
  1. nibbling
  2. stabbing
  3. picking
  4. jabbing
  5. puncturing
  6. piercing
  7. sticking
  8. spitting
Verb
  • And Restore Britain, a far-right party with just one lawmaker but a loud social media presence amplified by Elon Musk, is nibbling away at Reform’s support.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • While nibbling deer and pesky rodents might require one approach, something else, like snakes, will require another.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
Definition of nibbling
Verb
  • Martinez Police Department A suspect accused of fatally stabbing a man outside a California residence during a burglary a day after being released from custody has been charged with murder, officials said.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Jurors heard a harrowing voicemail left by Johnson begging one of her friends for help as Williams butchered her, stabbing her five times in the chest and four times in her back.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • Antioch Full Gospel Baptist Church members who are facing off in court over control of the College Station congregation will meet Monday to determine the process for picking who gets to preach.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Austria has entered the 2027 Oscar race, picking the Sandra Hüller period drama Rose to represent the country in the best international feature category.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of picking
Verb
  • That’s partly the result of actions by Curtis, like taking customer’s phone calls and jabbing at a competitor on social media.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The show ushered in a new era of winking, elbow-jabbing meta-musicals.
    — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of jabbing
Verb
  • The shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent in the plane near row 8 and puncturing the body below the wing, as well as gouging and denting the tail, the NTSB said.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • According to the company website, the glove is designed to disrupt sensory nerves without puncturing or burning the skin.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of puncturing
Verb
  • The woman eventually managed to escape and ran to a neighbor for help, WPLG reported, adding that her piercing screams were captured on home surveillance video.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The company has been piercing girls and their mothers for nearly five decades with 131 million ears pierced to date.
    — Sharon Edelson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • Florida Attorney General James Ulthmeier once again is grandstanding and sticking his nose into a national issue.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Packers rookie defensive tackle Anthony Campbell has gone from an enormous longshot to make the roster to having a puncher’s chance of sticking.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of sticking
Verb
  • The team could use another forward as Luis Suarez is suspended for all six Leagues Cup games as the penalty for spitting on a Seattle Sounders official during last year’s tournament final.
    — Michelle Kaufman August 7, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Starship is designed to launch 60 Starlink V3 satellites at a time, spitting them out through a slit-like payload bay door like a giant PEZ candy dispenser.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of spitting

Phrases Containing pecking

Browse Nearby Words

pecker
pecking
pecking (at)
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Cite this Entry

“Pecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pecking for Spanish Speakers

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