pecking order
noun
variants
or less commonly peck order
1
: the basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank
broadly
: a dominance hierarchy in a group of social animals
2
: a social hierarchy
Examples of pecking order in a Sentence
As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.
the pecking order of Washington politics
Recent Examples on the Web
Sites on the mainland with bay views are third in the pecking order.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025
At this point, Matthew is still at the bottom of the pecking order, an appendage and acolyte who understands the delicacy of his station.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
Antony has fallen down the pecking order at United and only made 14 appearances for the club this season, without starting a game in the Premier League.
—Sam Joseph, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Veteran players like Anderson, Buddy Hield and Payton — ahead of both youngsters in the pecking order initially — could become more dispensable if Post and Santos carve out true roles.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pecking order 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025
At this point, Matthew is still at the bottom of the pecking order, an appendage and acolyte who understands the delicacy of his station.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
Antony has fallen down the pecking order at United and only made 14 appearances for the club this season, without starting a game in the Premier League.
—Sam Joseph, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Veteran players like Anderson, Buddy Hield and Payton — ahead of both youngsters in the pecking order initially — could become more dispensable if Post and Santos carve out true roles.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pecking order
Articles Related to pecking order
Dictionary Entries Near pecking order
Cite this Entry
“Pecking order.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pecking%20order. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pecking order
noun
peck·ing order
ˈpek-iŋ-ˌ 
variants
also peck order
: the basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank compare cannibalism sense 3, dominance sense a
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share