peck
To strike or bite something with a beak. / To eat small amounts of food slowly and without appetite. / A quick, light kiss. / A dry measure of capacity equal to two gallons.
Transitive VerbIntransitive Verb[C/U] Both
pl: peckspast: peckedpp: peckeding: pecking
The word carries a sense of sharp, repetitive, and superficial contact. When used by birds, it is a biological necessity for feeding or aggression, but when applied to humans, it describes a rapid, glancing touch that lacks deep passion or intensity. This creates a feeling of brevity and lightness.
Countable when referring to a light kiss or a specific unit of dry measure. Uncountable when describing the general action of a bird striking something.
Meanings
Phrasal Verbs
peck at
to eat small amounts of food without appetite or to strike repeatedly with a beak
She spent the afternoon pecking at a bowl of grapes.