variants
also peck orders
as in rankings
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 orders
From playoff pecking orders to division title tiebreakers to how the NFC South can be won (or lost) in only two games instead of four, Fowler and Kaye break it all down for the Carolina faithful.
—
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking orders
Noun
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Texas dominated many national rankings in the report as well, with the ZIP code encompassing the Dallas suburb of Crandall ranking second on the list and a more urban Dallas ZIP code ranking 10th.—
Faith Bugenhagen,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For decades, leadership inside many industries was tied to centralized oversight, direct operational control and rigid hierarchies.—
Mira Tzur,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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Throughout the nine tracks, which range from haunting to playful and toy with auto-tune, Malone examines relationship hierarchies and expectations.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Noun
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Which fast food chains use beef tallow today Beef tallow never disappeared entirely, and a handful of chains have either kept it or brought it back.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
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And people shouldn’t bash him for highlighting a California culinary institution that’s one of the better legacy fast food chains out there, even though the Barstow Taco is, well, whatever.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pecking orders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20orders. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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