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

No final roster decisions are made during OTAs, but there was valuable insight about the pecking order throughout the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster. —Tashan Reed, New York Times, 20 June 2025

But while fashion’s presence in fine art is well established, its move into design—historically more niche and less headline-worthy—signals a shift in the aesthete’s pecking order. —Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025

Over the next decade, the spirit remained mostly a curiosity—far down the pecking order of Americans’ drink preferences. —Time, 4 June 2025

The pecking order of the Giants bullpen is mostly established. —Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pecking order

• boarder
• border
• corder
• warder
• camcorder
• disorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

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