The bird pecked at the ground, snatching up the ants.
•I tried to hold on to the bird but it pecked at me hard.
2. Fig. [for someone] to eat just a little bit of something, being as picky as a bird. •Are you well, Betty? You are just pecking at your food.
•Please don't peck at your food. You should eat everything.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
peck at something — ˈpeck at sth derived to eat only a very small amount of a meal because you are not hungry Syn: pick at • She sat nervously pecking at her food. Main entry: ↑peckderived … Useful english dictionary
peck — peck1 [ pek ] verb 1. ) intransitive or transitive when a bird pecks, it moves its beak quickly forward to hit or bite something: The fox cub had been pecked to death by crows. peck at: The birds pecked at the insect infested tree. 2. )… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
peck at — verb eat like a bird The anorexic girl just picks at her food • Syn: ↑pick at, ↑peck • Hypernyms: ↑eat • Verb Frames: Somebody s Somebo … Useful english dictionary
peck at — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms peck at : present tense I/you/we/they peck at he/she/it pecks at present participle pecking at past tense pecked at past participle pecked at peck at something to eat only a small amount of a meal, without… … English dictionary
peck — I UK [pek] / US verb Word forms peck : present tense I/you/we/they peck he/she/it pecks present participle pecking past tense pecked past participle pecked 1) [intransitive/transitive] when a bird pecks, it moves its beak quickly forward to hit… … English dictionary
peck — peck1 [pek] v [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: Probably from pick] 1.) [I and T] if a bird pecks something or pecks at something, it makes quick repeated movements with its beak to try to eat part of it, make a hole in it etc peck at ▪ birds pecking at… … Dictionary of contemporary English
peck — [[t]pe̱k[/t]] pecks, pecking, pecked 1) VERB If a bird pecks at something or pecks something, it moves its beak forward quickly and bites at it. [V at n] It was winter and the sparrows were pecking at whatever they could find... [V prep/adv]… … English dictionary
peck — 1 verb 1 (I, T) if a bird pecks something, it makes quick repeated movements with its beak to try to bite it (+ at): sparrows pecking at breadcrumbs | peck sth: A bird flew down and pecked my hand. | It had pecked a hole in the bottom of its cage … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
peck — I. noun Etymology: Middle English pek, from Anglo French Date: 13th century 1. see weight table 2. a large quantity or number II. verb Etymology: Middle English, perhaps from Middle Low German pekken Date: 14th century … New Collegiate Dictionary
peck — 1. noun /pɛk/ a) One quarter of a bushel; a dry measure of eight quarts. They picked a peck of wheat. b) A great deal; a large or excessive quantity. She figured most children probably ate a peck of dirt before they turned ten. 2 … Wiktionary
peck — 1. v. & n. v.tr. 1 strike or bite (something) with a beak. 2 kiss (esp. a person s cheek) hastily or perfunctorily. 3 a make (a hole) by pecking. b (foll. by out, off) remove or pluck out by pecking. 4 colloq. (also absol.) eat (food) listlessly; … Useful english dictionary
