peck at
phrasal verb
pecked at; pecking at; pecks at
: to take small bites of (food)
Her son pecked at his food and said he wasn't hungry.
Examples of peck at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The chorus of voices is making the party seem more like a chicken strolling around a barnyard pecking at random than a party striving to take back power.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
On Española Island, some individuals do more than just peck at wounds to drink blood—they have been seen persistently pecking at the insensitive tail tips of large marine iguanas, removing centimeters of actual tissue in the process.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
The downy also can peck at galls or protrusions on goldenrod plants where insect eggs are lurking.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Drones peck at the buildings of Gaza like giant birds.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
There were also live birds pecking at dead birds, and dozens of birds with visible wounds — each a sign of cannibalism, a persistent problem in turkey farming.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 26 Nov. 2024
Sat on the front row by the railing, Balthazar, attached to his owner only by a thin piece of string, stayed close, minding his own business, pecking at little bits of corn and bread and taking sips of water.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 9 July 2024
Luna feels calmer under the warmth of the sun, and while the chickens peck at the damp ground, Aleida takes advantage of the moment.
—Unicef Usa, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
This fall, a 16-foot-tall pigeon — its chest puffed out proudly, head high, not down pecking at some errant pizza crust, its pitiless red-eye gaze looking out over the traffic — will alight on the spur of the High Line that bridges Tenth Avenue at 30th Street.
—Carl Swanson, Curbed, 31 July 2024
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Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
On Española Island, some individuals do more than just peck at wounds to drink blood—they have been seen persistently pecking at the insensitive tail tips of large marine iguanas, removing centimeters of actual tissue in the process.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
The downy also can peck at galls or protrusions on goldenrod plants where insect eggs are lurking.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Drones peck at the buildings of Gaza like giant birds.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
There were also live birds pecking at dead birds, and dozens of birds with visible wounds — each a sign of cannibalism, a persistent problem in turkey farming.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 26 Nov. 2024
Sat on the front row by the railing, Balthazar, attached to his owner only by a thin piece of string, stayed close, minding his own business, pecking at little bits of corn and bread and taking sips of water.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 9 July 2024
Luna feels calmer under the warmth of the sun, and while the chickens peck at the damp ground, Aleida takes advantage of the moment.
—Unicef Usa, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
This fall, a 16-foot-tall pigeon — its chest puffed out proudly, head high, not down pecking at some errant pizza crust, its pitiless red-eye gaze looking out over the traffic — will alight on the spur of the High Line that bridges Tenth Avenue at 30th Street.
—Carl Swanson, Curbed, 31 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Peck at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peck%20at. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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