as in to pick at
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
kept pecking at their prodigal daughter to get off the couch and to start looking for a job
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peck (at)
Verb
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Questions of racial discrimination have often dogged Urban Beach Week, which attracts mostly young African Americans and has been met with a very large — and some say intimidating — police contingent.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
12 Feb. 2025 -
But Bates’s no-nonsense approach to crime and dogged determination to hold all lawbreakers accountable created a seismic shift in how crime and punishment would be tackled in Maryland’s largest city.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Smirk flies under the banner Make Fun, Not War and delights to needle and tweak the NFL and the gravitas of its Big Game.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2025
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That’s also the case for Peter Doocy, the White House correspondent who relished needling President Biden and his aides, and will now be scrutinized for his handling of Mr. Trump.—
Michael M. Grynbaum,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Cal Fire captain begged for mercy during slaying captured on video, officials say.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2025
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My agent was the one who pretty much begged me to just go out and try it and audition.—
Katie Arnold-Ratliff,
Curbed,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In the continued fight for racial justice and amid reinvigorated efforts to erase Black contributions to American history, Wells would urge activists to be steadfast in speaking truth into the world and advocating relentlessly for a more racially just America.—
Amy Gais / Made by History,
TIME,
27 Feb. 2025
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In a potential landmark action, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency has privately urged the Trump administration to reconsider a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.—
MATTHEW DALY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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By James Parker Editor’s Note: Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you?—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2025
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Once the need to gain weight started nagging, that other, restrictive noise was suddenly silenced.—
Brooke Eby,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Gathering at Scripps Research’s third annual Pandemic Preparedness Symposium last week, researchers working in virology and chemistry did not bother to debate whether or not H5N1 avian influenza will clear this rapidly shrinking hurdle.—
Paul Sisson,
The Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2025
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The obvious motive The administration hardly bothered to pretend that Brown (whose distinguished military and academic career includes a masters’ degree in in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach).wasn’t fired for being Black.—
Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards,
Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Jarred Vanderbilt set the tone by hounding him the length of the court, picking up fouls away from the ball.—
Bennett Durando,
The Denver Post,
23 Feb. 2025
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Image Can a celebrity ever just wear a ring on her ring finger without being hounded?—
Sadiba Hasan,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Peck (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peck%20%28at%29. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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