pete

plural petes

1. alternativeslangAlternative form of peter (“a safe”).

   He told us that at one time he could blow a pete at one shot and never fail.

   1933, Goat Laven, Rough Stuff: The Life Story of a Gangster, page 34

   1 more example

   He was on his way to Tyrone, where he intended to blow a “pete” in a general merchandise store […]

   1929, Outlook and Independent, volume 152, page 640

plural Petes

1. A diminutive of the male given name Peter.

   2 more examples

   “Where’s Pete?” Pearce asked him. / “Pete?” Shortarse’s mouth stretched and slackened and stretched again. You couldn’t tell if he’d just stubbed his toe, or if he was about to burst into hysterical laughter. / “How many Petes you got working here?” / Shortarse shrugged. […] “Thompson,” Pearce said with his eyes closed. “Thompson,” he said again. He opened his eyes and stared. “I’d like to see Pete Thompson.”

   2004, Allan Guthrie, “11:15 am”, in Two-Way Split, Holicong, Pa.: PointBlank, →ISBN, part 1, page 28

   According to the Atlantic, national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month convened a text conversation with top US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to discuss strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen who had been threatening international shipping in the Red Sea. Waltz, apparently accidentally, added Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the chain.

   2025 March 24, Katie Bo Lillis, Kaitlan Collins, Jeff Zeleny, Evan Perez, Oren Liebermann, Jamie Gangel, Kit Maher and Sean Lyngaas, “Trump’s national security adviser added a journalist to text chat on highly sensitive Yemen strike plans”, in CNN

2. slangA Peterbilt truck.

   Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June In a Kenworth pullin' logs. Cab-over Pete with a reefer on And a Jimmy haulin' hogs.

   1975, “Convoy”, in C.W. McCall, Chip Davis (lyrics), Black Bear Road, performed by C. W. McCall

1. abbreviationacronymuncountablechemistryAcronym of polyethylene terephthalate.

   Near-synonym: ♳

   Synonyms: PET, ♳