verb
peck
pehk
verb
1
For a bird to strike or pick at something repeatedly with its beak.
"The hens pecked at the scattered corn."
2
Informal: to give someone a quick, light kiss.
"She pecked him on the cheek before running for the bus."
noun
1
A quick, light kiss.
"He gave her a peck goodbye and left for work."
2
A dry measure equal to a quarter of a bushel (about eight quarts).
"The recipe called for a peck of apples."
How to Use Peck
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA bird's pecking motion, a quick light kiss, or an old unit of dry measure.
Common pairings
peck on the cheek
peck at food
a peck of trouble
Word Forms
pecked past tense, pecked past tense, pecks plural, pecks plural, pecks singular, pecks singular
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Etymology
From Middle English pecken, a variant of picken ("to pick" with a pointed tool) — related to "pick".