Peep Meaning
/piːp/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
nounA feeble utterance or complaint.
Sentence Examples
She would have liked to peep in, but could not do such a thing.
I don't want to hear another peep out of you.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The shy child would ____ through the blinds at the party guests.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The curious child tried to ____ through the keyhole to see what was happening inside the room.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English pepen. Compare Dutch piepen (“peep”), German Low German piepen (“to peep”), German piepen and pfeifen, all probably onomatopoeic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
""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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The shy child would ____ through the blinds at the party guests.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The curious child tried to ____ through the keyhole to see what was happening inside the room.