peacock

1 of 2

noun

pea·​cock ˈpē-ˌkäk How to pronounce peacock (audio)
1
: a male peafowl distinguished by a crest of upright feathers and by greatly elongated loosely webbed upper tail coverts which are mostly tipped with iridescent spots and are erected and spread in a shimmering fan usually as a courtship display
broadly : peafowl
2
: one making a proud display of oneself : show-off
peacockish
ˈpē-ˌkä-kish How to pronounce peacock (audio)
adjective
peacocky
ˈpē-ˌkä-kē How to pronounce peacock (audio)
adjective

peacock

2 of 2

verb

peacocked; peacocking; peacocks

intransitive verb

: show off

Examples of peacock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
So peacock in your Rolexes tonight, fellas. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 24 June 2026 While often referred to as white peacocks, the birds are more accurately known as white peafowl. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Verb
The need among small-time meme coin creators to peacock for attention became even more acute when celebrities piled in. — Joel Khalili, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2024 The congregation may shout or cut a step, and the preacher may peacock a bit to animate the sermon; release can often look like entropy to the untrained eye. — Briana Younger, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2021 See All Example Sentences for peacock

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pecok, from pe- (from Old English pēa peafowl, from Latin pavon-, pavo peacock) + cok cock

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of peacock was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing peacock

Rhymes for peacock

See All Rhymes for peacock

Browse Nearby Words

peacoat
peacock
Peacock
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Peacock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peacock. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

peacock

noun
pea·​cock
ˈpē-ˌkäk
: the male of a very large Asian pheasant having a very long brightly colored tail that can be spread or raised, a small crest of upright feathers on the top of the head, and in most forms brilliant blue or green feathers on the neck and shoulders

Biographical Definition

Peacock

biographical name

Pea·​cock ˈpē-ˌkäk How to pronounce Peacock (audio)
Thomas Love 1785–1866 English novelist and poet

More from Merriam-Webster on peacock

Nglish: Translation of peacock for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about peacock

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All