Peep
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
- 2 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."
- 3 A spot on a die or domino. obsolete
- 4 A person. British, slang
- 5 Alternative letter-case form of Peep alt-of
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 A soft marshmallow confection, shaped into a baby animal for Easter celebration. US
- 7 A World War II jeep attached to an armored regiment. slang
- 8 a secret look wordnet
- 9 A feeble utterance or complaint.
"I don't want to hear a peep out of you!"
- 10 The first partial appearance of something; a beginning to appear.
"the peep of day"
- 11 Acronym of positive end-expiratory pressure. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 12 the short weak cry of a young bird wordnet
- 13 The sound of a steam engine's whistle; typically shrill.
"With a "peep" from a high-pitched whistle, the train would leave by the crossover to the down line, […]."
- 14 A peepshow.
"A boring lusterless attempt at pornography, a niche above the racks of pulp pocketbooks sold in the front room of peeps."
- 15 A sandpiper or other small wader. colloquial
- 1 To make a soft, shrill noise like a baby bird.
- 2 To look, especially through a narrow opening, or while trying not to be seen or noticed. intransitive
"The man peeped through the small hole."
- 3 appear as though from hiding wordnet
- 4 To speak briefly with a quiet voice.
- 5 To begin to appear; to look forth from concealment; to make the first appearance. dated, intransitive
"When flowers first peeped, and trees did blossoms bear."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 speak in a hesitant and high-pitched tone of voice wordnet
- 7 To take a look at; check out. slang, transitive
"Did you peep that video I sent you?"
- 8 make high-pitched sounds wordnet
- 9 To see, uncover. slang, transitive
"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."
- 10 cause to come into view wordnet
- 11 look furtively wordnet
Example
More examples"She would have liked to peep in, but could not do such a thing."
Etymology
From Middle English pepen. Compare Dutch piepen (“peep”), German Low German piepen (“to peep”), German piepen and pfeifen, all probably onomatopoeic.
From Middle English pepen, variant of piken.
Uncertain; perhaps variant of pip.
Back-formation from peeps, a shortened form of people.
Genericized trademark from the confection brand Peeps.
Genericized trademark from the confection brand Peeps, owned by Just Born, Inc.