peacock

1 of 2

noun

pea·​cock ˈpē-ˌkäk 

1

: a male peafowl distinguished by a crest of upright feathers and by greatly elongated loosely webbed upper tail coverts which are mostly tipped with iridescent spots and are erected and spread in a shimmering fan usually as a courtship display

broadly : peafowl

2

: one making a proud display of oneself : show-off

peacockish

ˈpē-ˌkä-kish 

adjective

peacocky

ˈpē-ˌkä-kē 

adjective

peacock

2 of 2

verb

peacocked; peacocking; peacocks

intransitive verb

: show off

Examples of peacock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The 355-piece set can be transformed into a peacock with foldable feathers or a dragonfly and butterfly with posable wings. —Ali Faccenda, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024

Modern birds like peacocks and peahens also have a crest that produces resonance. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024

Verb

The need among small-time meme coin creators to peacock for attention became even more acute when celebrities piled in. —Joel Khalili, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2024

Captain Alan Zaremba of Hollywood specializes in guiding anglers to peacock bass in South Florida as well as in the Amazon River basin in Colombia and Brazil. —Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pecok, from pe- (from Old English pēa peafowl, from Latin pavon-, pavo peacock) + cok cock

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1818, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing peacock

• peacock blue
• peacock flower

Kids Definition

peacock

noun

pea·​cock

ˈpē-ˌkäk

: the male of a very large Asian pheasant having a very long brightly colored tail that can be spread or raised, a small crest of upright feathers on the top of the head, and in most forms brilliant blue or green feathers on the neck and shoulders

Biographical Definition

Peacock

biographical name

Pea·​cock ˈpē-ˌkäk 

Thomas Love 1785–1866 English novelist and poet