peer

CEFRC1

/pɪə/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To look closely or with difficulty at something.

  2. 02

    noun

    A person of the same age, status, or group.

Examples

  • Sami was trying to peer through the bushes.

  • He was created a peer.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /niə̯/
  • /piɾ/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. A look; a glance.

  2. To come in sight; to appear.

  3. To look with difficulty, or as if searching for something.

More examples

In context

  • The king created him a peer.

  • As if thro’ a dungeon grate he peer’d With broad and burning face.

  • a peer of the realm

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The old man had to blank at the tiny label on the bottle.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English peren, pyren, piren (“to peer, gaze”), perhaps from Old English *pȳran (“to look, peer”), from Proto-West Germanic *pūrijan (“to look”), related to Saterland Frisian pierje (“to look”), Dutch Low Saxon piren (“to look”), West Flemish pieren (“to look with narrowed eyes, squint at”), Dutch pieren (“to look closely at, examine”), Middle English pouren (“to gaze, look closely”), English pore (“to study meticulously”). Compare also West Frisian pluere (“to peer”), Dutch pluren (“to gaze squintingly”), German Low German plieren (“to blink”), Danish plire (“to peer”), Swedish plira, blira (“to peer”), and thence ultimately related to the root of English blear. The sense meanin...