peck
peck — noun
- pecksingular
- pecksplural
1. The quick, sharp movement of a bird's beak as it strikes, hits, or picks up some
The quick, sharp movement of a bird's beak as it strikes, hits, or picks up something small.
The woodpecker gave a loud peck at the tree trunk before flying away.
collocation: give/take a peck
Dahlia watched the pigeon take a quick peck at the breadcrumb on the ground.
The parrot made a playful peck at Theo's finger through the cage bars.
A single peck from the hen was enough to break the tomato's thin skin.
- bite
A peck uses the beak; a bite is done with teeth.
文法句型
give/take a peck
用法筆記
Often used in the phrases 'give a peck' or 'take a peck' to describe a bird's action in a single, countable instance.
2. A short, light kiss that is given quickly, often on the cheek as a casual greeti
A short, light kiss that is given quickly, often on the cheek as a casual greeting or a small sign of affection.
Camila gave her grandmother a peck on the cheek before leaving for school.
collocation: peck on the cheek
The old man offered a quick peck on his wife's forehead as she slept.
Chiara received a friendly peck from her aunt at the family dinner.
A peck on the lips is sometimes how couples greet each other in private.
- kiss
A kiss is the general term; a peck is a specific type — shorter, lighter, and less romantic.
文法句型
give [someone] a peck on [body part]
常見錯誤
3. A traditional unit for dry items such as grain or flour, holding roughly nine li
A traditional unit for dry items such as grain or flour, holding roughly nine litres in the British system or eight litres in the American one.
The farmer sold a peck of apples at the market for just a few coins.
quantity: a peck of [food]
In the old recipe, the baker needed one peck of wheat flour to make bread.
Eric learned that a peck equals a quarter of a bushel in the US system.
The merchant measured the oats by the peck and wrote the amount in his book.
文法句型
a peck of [dry goods]
用法筆記
Now mostly found in historical texts, old farming records, and traditional recipes. Rarely used in modern everyday life.
4. A large amount or number of something, often used informally with the word 'of'.
A large amount or number of something, often used informally with the word 'of'.
The charity received a peck of donations after the news story went viral.
collocation: a peck of [something]
Kabir had a peck of problems to solve before the project deadline.
The investigation raised a peck of questions about the company's accounts.
Anya found a peck of old letters hidden inside the dusty suitcase.
文法句型
a peck of [something]
用法筆記
Chiefly used in informal American English. Similar in meaning to 'a lot of' or 'a bunch of', but less common in modern speech.
peck — verb
- peckpresent simple I / you / we / they
- peckshe / she / it
- peckedpast simple
- pecking-ing form
1. (of a bird) to strike, bite, or pick something up by making quick, repeated move
(of a bird) to strike, bite, or pick something up by making quick, repeated movements with its beak.
The hen pecked at the corn scattered across the barn floor.
pattern: peck at [target]
A small bird pecked the ripe fig until it fell from the branch.
The chickens pecked at the ground looking for worms after the rain.
Lien watched the sparrow peck a hole in the paper bag to reach the seeds.
文法句型
peck at [target]
peck [object]
用法筆記
Often used with 'at' when describing the target area rather than a specific object. Transitive when the bird picks up or makes something (e.g. 'peck a worm', 'peck a hole').
2. To kiss someone lightly and quickly, usually on the cheek, forehead, or lips, as
To kiss someone lightly and quickly, usually on the cheek, forehead, or lips, as a brief affectionate greeting or goodbye.
Chiara pecked her dad on the cheek before running to the bus stop.
pattern: peck [person] on [body part]
The little boy pecked his mother's forehead and whispered goodnight.
Ilan pecked Tendai on the cheek as a thank you for the birthday gift.
Minho's mother pecked him on the forehead as she tucked him into bed.
- kiss
Kiss is the general term for touching someone with the lips; a peck is a specific fast, light type of kiss.
文法句型
peck [person] on [body part]
peck [person]
用法筆記
Typically takes the structure 'peck someone on the [body part]'. Unlike 'kiss', 'peck' always implies a short, light action and cannot be used for long or passionate kissing.
常見錯誤
3. To press keyboard keys with only a couple of fingers, typically because you lear
To press keyboard keys with only a couple of fingers, typically because you learned to type without using all ten digits properly.
Dahlia does not know how to touch-type, so she pecks at the keyboard slowly.
pattern: peck at [keyboard]
Eric pecked out his email using two fingers while looking at each key.
pattern: peck out [text]
The old journalist still pecks at his typewriter instead of using a computer.
Kian pecked out a long report for his boss, pressing each key one at a time.
- type
Type is the standard verb; 'peck' adds the image of slow, one-finger pressing, like a bird's movement.
文法句型
peck at [keyboard]
peck out [text]
用法筆記
Often used with 'out' to mean producing a written result — 'peck out a letter'. The compound 'hunt-and-peck' is a common informal description of this typing method.
常見錯誤
4. To eat only very small amounts of food, moving it around slowly on the plate, us
To eat only very small amounts of food, moving it around slowly on the plate, usually because you have little or no appetite.
Camila felt sick and only pecked at the soup her mother had made.
pattern: peck at [food]
The picky child pecked at his vegetables but refused to finish them.
Anya pecked at her salad without much enthusiasm during lunch.
After the long illness, Kabir could only peck at a piece of toast.
文法句型
peck at [food]
用法筆記
Almost always used with the preposition 'at' — the food is the object of 'at', not of the verb itself. The behaviour resembles how a bird picks at its food with small, hesitant movements.
常見錯誤
5. To keep finding fault with someone or complaining about small, unimportant thing
To keep finding fault with someone or complaining about small, unimportant things in an unkind or annoying way.
The supervisor pecked at the interns for every tiny mistake they made.
pattern: peck at [person] for [reason]
Theo's roommate kept pecking at him about leaving the kitchen light on.
Instead of helping, Lien's colleague just pecked at her work all day.
The critic pecked at the movie for its small errors and missed the bigger picture.
- praise
To express approval and admiration, the opposite of petty criticism.
文法句型
peck at [person]
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'at' before the target of criticism. Similar in tone to 'nag' but suggests criticism that is small and point-by-point rather than persistently repetitive.