noun

peer

noun

Someone of the same rank, age, or status as another person.

"Teenagers often care deeply about what their peers think of them."

A member of the nobility holding a title such as duke, earl, or baron.

"As a peer of the realm, he was entitled to sit in the House of Lords."

verb

To look closely or with difficulty, as if trying to see something unclear.

"She peered into the dark room, unable to find the light switch."

How to Use Peer

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither someone equal in rank/age to you, or the act of looking hard at something unclear.

Common mistake

The "equal" sense and the "look closely" sense come from entirely different word histories, even though they're spelled the same.

Common pairings

peer pressure peer into the distance peer group

Word Forms

peered past tense, peered past tense, peers plural, peers plural, peers plural, peers singular, peers singular

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Teenagers often care deeply about what their _____ think of them.

Etymology

The "look closely" sense comes from Middle English peren, likely from Old English roots meaning "to look" or "to peer." The "equal/nobleman" sense comes separately from Latin par, "equal."

Rhymes for peer

beer deer leer veer seer heer queer steer sneer cheer sheer Speer

See all rhymes for peer →