piques 1 of 2

noun

plural of pique
as in angers
the feeling of being offended or resentful after a slight or indignity in a fit of pique she posted embarrassing photos of her ex-boyfriend on the Internet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

piques

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pique
1
as in annoys
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in provokes
to rouse to strong feeling or action their sarcastic comments piqued him to respond in kind

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in prides
to think highly of (oneself) she piques herself on her considerable musical abilities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of piques
Verb
But her movie piques our interest rather than grabbing us by the throat the way a good crime flick should. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026 Where to Stay If Earl Young’s architecture piques your interest, book a room at Hotel Earl. — Stacy Conde, Midwest Living, 30 Dec. 2025 Much piques our curiosity about Springfield’s failure to settle on a pathway to constructing a new domed stadium for the Chicago Bears. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026 Having said that, the series piques the interest, especially because of the news that James Spader's Ultron will be a major player here. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 2 Jan. 2026 Bettors are showing significant interest in the quirky sport, which piques viewers’ curiosity every four years at the Winter Olympics. — ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026 Someone piques your interest unexpectedly, Leo. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026 Anything Oprah repeatedly praises immediately piques my interest, but even more so when her favorites are podiatrist favorites. — Alyssa Morin, InStyle, 30 May 2026 In a category that traditionally favors serious dramas, this rom-com unfolding against the backdrop of 30 years of Lebanese tragedies plays like a breath of fresh air and piques anticipation for Aris’ next feature. — Alissa Simon, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piques
  1. huffs
  2. annoys
  3. provokes
  4. prides
  5. frustrations
  6. bothers
  7. encourages
  8. irritates
Noun
  • David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.
    — Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
  • As much as Payton bristles about media storylines and huffs about tempo questions, the Broncos went 25 minutes without a first down against Las Vegas.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Nov. 2025
Definition of huffs
Verb
  • What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • One of the more common ways bear encounters escalate is when an off-leash dog runs toward a bear, annoys it, and then comes sprinting back to its owner with an angry predator in pursuit.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
Definition of annoys
Verb
  • This ends up being just one of Aemond’s defining moments, which further provokes war.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026
  • His jealousy provokes an act of betrayal and cruelty.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 June 2026
Definition of provokes
Verb
  • The service The resort prides itself on knowledge and personable staff and experts.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 June 2026
  • For a party that prides itself on diversity, the clashes have exacerbated fierce debates over identity politics and long-standing rifts between progressives and moderates.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 June 2026
Definition of prides
Noun
  • Rewarding The Long-Term Customer One of the most common frustrations in telecom is the belief that new customers get the best deals while long-term customers are left behind.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Recent allegations of irregularities in government recruitment exams have only deepened frustrations among some young Indians.
    — Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
Definition of frustrations
Verb
  • What bothers me is the foot-dragging, the spinning in circles, the slow degradation of these characters into annoying stereotypes.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • What bothers me is the implication of a Labubu National Team full of these things.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of bothers
Verb
  • Valentine also testified that the FDA encourages infant formula companies to send in all adverse event reports and that nothing prevented Mead Johnson from doing so.
    — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Kalibrate’s program, according to the lawsuit, encourages gas stations to upload private price data.
    — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of encourages
Verb
  • If someone is in your life long enough, they’re bound to do something that irritates you—and you’re bound to do something that irritates them.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
  • Elsa’s inquisitive presence almost instantly irritates Amalia, as the latter refuses to simply acquiesce to her relentless quizzing.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
Definition of irritates

Browse Nearby Words

piqued
piques
piquing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Piques.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piques. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on piques

Nglish: Translation of piques for Spanish Speakers

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