peep

plural peeps

1. A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
   1. A feeble utterance or complaint.

      I don't want to hear a peep out of you!

   2. collectiveA brood of chicks (young chickens).

      A peep of chicks feed in their cage at Oesterlings Lawn & Garden Thursday, April 14, 2022. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle

      2022 April 15, “Photo Gallery: April 15, 2022”, in Butler Eagle, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2026

      2 more examples

      Two big canopy beds packed with kilims and cushions in the corner of the hut are lit warmly in the glow of the paraffin lanterns as a peep of chicks run inside, quite bravely I think, since their elder relative just got the chop.

      2025, Roxana Shirazi, Dead Iranian Girl, Rare Bird Books

      The mean weight of a peep of chicks is 1.3 pounds, with a standard deviation of 0.4 pounds. Kevin wants to know the weight of the chick he is buying, but the seller only has the z-score of 1.25. How much does the chick weigh?

      2019 June 23, melaniemessiha, Brainly, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2026

2. The sound of a steam engine's whistle; typically shrill.

   "Peep, peep," said Edward, "I'm ready." "Peep, peep, peep," said Henry, "so am I."

   2001, Rev. W. Awdry, Thomas the tank engine collection : a unique collection of stories from the railway series - p. 177 - Egmont Books, Limited, Aug 15, 2001

   1 more example

   With a "peep" from a high-pitched whistle, the train would leave by the crossover to the down line, […].

   1954 March, W. A. Tuplin, “Recollections of the Wirral Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 168

3. colloquialbiologyA sandpiper or other small wader.

   When I spotted two small warm-brown scaley-plumaged ‘peeps’ with yellow legs, my commentary immediately identified them as Least Sandpipers.

   1983, Bill Oddie, Gone Birding, London: Methuen, page 91

present singular third person peeps · participle present peeping · participle past peeped · past peeped

1. To make a soft, shrill noise like a baby bird.
2. To speak briefly with a quiet voice.

present singular third person peeps · participle present peeping · participle past peeped · past peeped

1. intransitiveTo look forth from concealment, especially through a narrow opening, or while trying not to be seen or noticed.

   The man peeped through the small hole.

   2 more examples

   And it was while all were passionately intent upon the pleasing and snake-like progress of their uncle that a young girl in furs, ascending the stairs two at a time, peeped perfunctorily into the nursery as she passed the hallway—and halted amazed.

   1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC

   But Richmond[…]appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw, peeping around the massive silver epergne that almost obscured him from her view, that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.

   1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax

   Synonyms: keek

2. datedintransitiveTo begin to appear; to make the first appearance.

   When flowers first peeped, and trees did blossoms bear.

   1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, (please specify the page number)

   1 more example

   They first caught crabs and quohogs in the sand; grown bolder, they waded out with nets for mackerel; more experienced, they pushed off in boats and captured cod; and at last, launching a navy of great ships on the sea, explored this watery world; put an incessant belt of circumnavigations round it; peeped in at Behring’s Straits; and in all seasons and all oceans declared everlasting war with the mightiest animated mass that has survived the flood; most monstrous and most mountainous!

   1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 14, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 70

3. slangtransitiveTo take a look at; check out.

   Did you peep that video I sent you?

   1 more example

   Peep me, I'm fabulous, I work with the hardest working women at Kay Jeweler's, selling the finest jewels to the richest people.

   2019 December, Justin Blackburn, The Bisexual Christian Suburban Failure Enlightening Bipolar Blues, page 96

4. slangtransitiveAfrican-American VernacularTo see, uncover.

   A lot of females were hesitant about getting with Pimp. He had a hard edge to him that made it impossible not to peep his cruel nature.

   2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 58

plural peeps

1. A quick look or glimpse, especially a furtive one.

   So saying she loosened some ivory screws of the guitar, so as to open a peep lengthwise through its interior.

   1852, Herman Melville, Pierre; or The Ambiguities

   4 more examples

   I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside. / I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; […] then the door I opened wide.

   1907, Robert W. Service, “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, in The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses

   But at last Mr. Fox gave the order to stop. "I think," he said, "we had better take a peep upstairs now and see where we are. I know where I want to be, but I can't possibly be sure we're anywhere near it."

   1970, Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, page 30

   Another wheel toy was a baker's barrow on wheels, 14 inches high; it was filled with buns, loaves, and crumpets and came from Hamley's. This toy in 1959 was a peep into the past, for wheeled barrows such as this one, had not been in use for a number of years.

   1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 84

   He did manage a brief peep at the building’s Rotunda as he called on members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July.

   1990 October 5, “Souter plans to get right down to work”, in Fort Worth Star-Telegram, volume 85, number 154, section 1, page 14

2. The first partial appearance of something; a beginning to appear.

   the peep of day

3. A peepshow.

   A boring lusterless attempt at pornography, a niche above the racks of pulp pocketbooks sold in the front room of peeps.

   1981 December 1, Freddie Greenfield, “Insulting Prison Porn”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 20, page 11

plural peeps

1. obsoleteA spot on a die or domino.

   Synonyms: pip

plural peeps

1. UKslangA person.

plural peeps

1. Alternative letter-case form of Peep

plural Peeps

1. USA soft marshmallow confection, shaped into a baby animal for Easter celebration.

1. slangA World War II jeep attached to an armored regiment.
2. abbreviationacronymmedicineAcronym of positive end-expiratory pressure.