variants
also peck order
as in hierarchy
the way in which people or things in a group or organization are placed in a series of levels with different importance or status
As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.
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Recent Examples of pecking order
For decades, the corporate pecking order has been relatively clear.
—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Behind him in the pecking order is probably Mbappé.
—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
This pecking order belies the fact that Wilson might have the highest athletic upside of the bunch — and could offer a unique fit for the Bulls’ vision of the future.
—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
The 20-year-old is not projected to break into the Netherlands’ starting defense, with veteran center backs Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake and left back Micky van de Ven ahead of him in the pecking order.
—
Christian Marshall,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Behind him in the pecking order is probably Mbappé.
—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
This pecking order belies the fact that Wilson might have the highest athletic upside of the bunch — and could offer a unique fit for the Bulls’ vision of the future.
—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
The 20-year-old is not projected to break into the Netherlands’ starting defense, with veteran center backs Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake and left back Micky van de Ven ahead of him in the pecking order.
—
Christian Marshall,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pecking order
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking order
Noun
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After what authorities are billing as a massive procession in central Tehran on Monday the remains will be taken to the seminary city of Qom, the centre of Iran's Shi'ite hierarchy, for ceremonies on Tuesday.
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Defenders of slavery claimed that the institution was required by the natural hierarchy of humans reflected in the Constitution’s provisions.
Noun
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The Westchester suburb of Rye dropped to third in the annual ranking, with an income of $428,806.
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Monday, Forbes published its second-ever ranking of America’s Decabillionaire families, featuring 54 multi-generational clans worth at least $10 billion apiece.
Cite this Entry
“Pecking order.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20order. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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