pecking order

noun

variants or less commonly peck order

1

: the basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank

broadly : a dominance hierarchy in a group of social animals

2

: a social hierarchy

Examples of pecking order in a Sentence

As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.

the pecking order of Washington politics

Recent Examples on the Web

The 25-year-old, who came through Tottenham’s academy, is their third-choice goalkeeper and will drop even further down the pecking order when the signing of Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague is completed. —Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile since then, teams previously considered in the second tier of the Eastern Conference or lower, such as the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers have all leaped over Miami in the pecking order. —Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

Where Herbert fits exactly in the pecking order is the topic of never-ending debates on radio shows, television segments and podcasts. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024

Indiana among the top of the pecking order Roughly 217 million birds were raised in the U.S. for turkey production in 2021, according to the National Turkey Federation, citing a USDA report. —John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pecking order

noun

variants also peck order

1

: a basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without being pecked in return and allows pecking by one of higher rank

2

: a social order with ranks or classes

Medical Definition

pecking order

noun

peck·​ing order ˈpek-iŋ-ˌ 

variants also peck order

ˈpek-ˌ 

: the basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank compare cannibalism sense 3, dominance sense a