How to Use pecking order in a Sentence

pecking order

noun
Definition of pecking ordernext
Synonyms for pecking ordernext
  • As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.
  • The 25-year-old point guard moved up the Spurs’ pecking order the day DeRozan was dealt to the Bulls.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Oct. 2021
  • But his spot in the pecking order remains up in the air.
    — Joe Noga, cleveland, 7 Dec. 2021
  • By the end of this season, perhaps, the pecking order in the new league should take shape in earnest.
    — oregonlive, 26 Aug. 2021
  • In the case of many schools, Texas and Oklahoma will knock them down a notch or two in the pecking order.
    — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 30 July 2021
  • Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb simply move up in the pecking order.
    — Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 11 Sep. 2020
  • So the Mavs could have something to say about the final pecking order.
    — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 1 Sep. 2020
  • Newland, the lead defendant, was the chief of staff — third in the fleet’s pecking order.
    — Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2022
  • In the pecking order of picture books, Robert McCloskey’s have been at the top of the heap for almost 80 years.
    — Elisabeth Egan, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2023
  • Steve Raucci was far from the top of the district pecking order.
    — John Crowley, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022
  • The game moves quickly at the big league level, both between the lines and in a team’s pecking order.
    — Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
  • The system doesn’t just damage those at the bottom of the pecking order.
    — Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, 9 Oct. 2020
  • But as head coach Bryan Harsin has said, there’s still some sort of pecking order, if not a depth chart.
    — Giana Han, al, 6 Apr. 2021
  • Two questions: Where do the Calvert brothers fall in the pecking order?
    — Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Mar. 2022
  • Prior to the shortage, the process of a building a car likened a pyramid with a strict pecking order.
    — Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 2 Feb. 2022
  • Popovich has been pleased with how Vassell had adapted to his new place in the pecking order.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Mar. 2022
  • That leaves Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak at the end of the pecking order.
    — Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2023
  • What’s the pecking order at quarterback, and who will start for you?
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2021
  • But the pecking order seems likely to change again with the production ramp in Berlin.
    — Stephen Wilmot, WSJ, 22 Mar. 2022
  • Regardless of the job, the wages of prisoners at the bottom of the pecking order run from 10 cents to 45 cents an hour.
    — Michael Braga, The Arizona Republic, 19 July 2022
  • Nolan was no better than third in the quarterback pecking order for the first three weeks of camp.
    — oregonlive, 12 Sep. 2021
  • That was the lowest rate among the most populous states -- a far cry from Texas’ usual spot at the top of the pecking order.
    — Dallas News, 21 Aug. 2020
  • Who knows where Jabari Smith Jr. stands in the pecking order of Houston’s rebuild?
    — Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
  • He was benched during the Texas game, remained behind Caleb Williams in the pecking order and is now in the portal.
    — Tom Layberger, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2021
  • With those three gone and Ze’Vian Capers injured, the pecking order isn’t quite there among the wide receivers.
    — Giana Han, al, 6 Apr. 2021
  • Parks deduces a pecking order in the quality, and that order gives him a joke to tell.
    — Wesley Morris, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2020
  • With eight or nine wins, Williams would have to amass ridiculous numbers to put himself above them in the pecking order.
    — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2022
  • The Vikings kept two quarterbacks last season, and with the same pecking order in 2020, there could be a repeat.
    — Andrew Krammer, Star Tribune, 3 Sep. 2020
  • And, if polling in recent months is to be believed, the nation may once again have Trump atop the pecking order by January.
    — Philip Elliott, TIME, 30 May 2024
  • All three were supremely talented and held the prime spots in the end-of-the-runway positioning pecking order for many years.
    — Ivan Shaw, Vogue, 18 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pecking order.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: