piqued; piquing
1
a
: to excite or arouse especially by a provocation, challenge, or rebuff
sly remarks to pique their curiosity
b
: pride
he piques himself on his skill as a cook
: a transient feeling of wounded vanity : resentment
a fit of pique
variants
or pique
1
: a durable ribbed clothing fabric of cotton, rayon, or silk
2
: decoration of a tortoiseshell or ivory object with inlaid fragments of gold or silver
Synonyms
Examples of pique in a Sentence
Verb
The first chorus … stirred my heart, the second piqued my sense of camp and the rest of them had me checking my watch.
—
David Gates, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2002
The posthumous revelation of Cheever's alcoholism, numerous infidelities and bisexuality may have piqued interest precisely because he presented himself so earnestly as the Man in the Brooks Brothers Suit.
—Mary Gordon, New York Times Book Review, 6 Oct. 1991
Some environmentalists worry that the natural behavior patterns of whales are being altered by tourist boats that pique the animals' curiosity.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 21 Aug. 1989
In case your interest is being piqued just an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny … bit, the Davis Cup will confuse you totally by calling every competition between contending teams a "tie."
—Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 11 Apr. 1988
Brightly colored objects pique a baby's interest.
her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs
Noun (1)
And yet the democracy flourishing in Taiwan has been greeted in other parts of the Chinese-speaking world with a certain pique, and even with hostility.
—Ian Buruma, New Republic, 3 Apr. 2000
… when a beast that weighs 1,200 pounds goes crazy with some kind of stupid pique or jealousy in a room not much bigger than the handicapped stall in the Denver airport men's room, bad things will happen …
—Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994
He hit balls toward the umpire's chair and out of the stadium: he spat water toward the umpire on changeovers; and in still greater fits of pique, he broke three rackets.
—Jamie Diaz, Sports Illustrated, 2 Mar. 1987
After a moment of pique, the senator responded calmly to his accusers.
He slammed the door in a fit of pique.
David Gates, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2002
The posthumous revelation of Cheever's alcoholism, numerous infidelities and bisexuality may have piqued interest precisely because he presented himself so earnestly as the Man in the Brooks Brothers Suit.
—Mary Gordon, New York Times Book Review, 6 Oct. 1991
Some environmentalists worry that the natural behavior patterns of whales are being altered by tourist boats that pique the animals' curiosity.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 21 Aug. 1989
In case your interest is being piqued just an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny … bit, the Davis Cup will confuse you totally by calling every competition between contending teams a "tie."
—Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 11 Apr. 1988
Brightly colored objects pique a baby's interest.
her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs
Noun (1)
And yet the democracy flourishing in Taiwan has been greeted in other parts of the Chinese-speaking world with a certain pique, and even with hostility.
—Ian Buruma, New Republic, 3 Apr. 2000
… when a beast that weighs 1,200 pounds goes crazy with some kind of stupid pique or jealousy in a room not much bigger than the handicapped stall in the Denver airport men's room, bad things will happen …
—Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994
He hit balls toward the umpire's chair and out of the stadium: he spat water toward the umpire on changeovers; and in still greater fits of pique, he broke three rackets.
—Jamie Diaz, Sports Illustrated, 2 Mar. 1987
After a moment of pique, the senator responded calmly to his accusers.
He slammed the door in a fit of pique.
Recent Examples on the Web
Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Is there any particular opponent that might pique his interest over the other possibilities?
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 27 Nov. 2024
Available to be purchased at the Garden are the Sport-tec quarter-zip pullover ($120), 1983 Classic pique polo in purple haze and vintage plus ($95) and The Garden Cup T-shirt ($48).
—Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pique 
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.
Verb
There was one particular thing about the story that piqued Pridemore’s interest.
—Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Is there any particular opponent that might pique his interest over the other possibilities?
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
Additionally, Brrr°® has a vast library of production-ready cooling fabrics in polyester, nylon and a variety of blends across all major fabric types including knits, wovens, interlock, mesh, pique, sheeting and 30 denier lightweight fabrics for hoodies and technical garments, to name a few.
—Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 27 Nov. 2024
Available to be purchased at the Garden are the Sport-tec quarter-zip pullover ($120), 1983 Classic pique polo in purple haze and vintage plus ($95) and The Garden Cup T-shirt ($48).
—Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pique
Dictionary Entries Near pique
Cite this Entry
“Pique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pique. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pique
1 of 3 noun1
: offense taken by one treated with disrespect or looked down upon
2
: a sudden feeling of resentment
pique
2 of 3 verb
piqued; piquing
1
: to arouse anger or resentment in : irritate
especially
: to offend by treating with disrespect
2
: excite sense 1, arouse
the package piqued my curiosity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share