Dictionary
pecking order
noun
: the way in which people or things in a group or organization are placed in a series of levels with different importance or status
Full Definition of PECKING 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
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Variants of PECKING ORDER
pecking order also peck order
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First Known Use of PECKING ORDER
1928
Rhymes with PECKING ORDER
Medical Dictionary
pecking order
noun peck·ing order \ˈpek-iŋ-ˌ\
Medical Definition of PECKING 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 3, dominance a
Variants of PECKING ORDER
peck·ing order also peck order \ˈpek-ˌ\
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