peer

1 of 3

noun

1
: one that is of equal standing with another : equal
The band mates welcomed the new member as a peer.
especially : one belonging to the same societal group especially based on age, grade, or status
teenagers spending time with their peers
2
a
: a member of one of the five ranks (duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron) of the British peerage
b
: noble sense 1
Peers and commoners alike were shown the same courtesy.
3
archaic : companion
peer adjective

peer

2 of 3

verb (1)

peered; peering; peers

intransitive verb

1
: to look narrowly or curiously
a child peering from behind a tree
especially : to look searchingly at something difficult to discern
She peered into the dark closet looking for her missing shoe.
2
: to come slightly into view : emerge partly
a vast white cloud, through which the sun peeredFrancis Kingdon-Ward

peer

3 of 3

verb (2)

peered; peering; peers

Examples of peer in a Sentence

Noun He was respected and admired by his peers. teenagers spending time with their peer groups
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The report says Frisco’s female managers are sharply underpaid compared with their male peers, with a difference of more than $107,000 a year. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 During the same period, consumer sales—a proxy for demand—were up 4%, thanks to buyers in the U.S. and parts of Europe who helped offset a slump from their Chinese peers. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024 The lab may seem an unusual move for someone like Munk, who inhabits a world where his peers are more likely to lend their name to pasta sauces, cookbooks or celebrity collaborations. Charlotte Lytton, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Prioritizing and embracing a diverse student body allows students to interact with peers from different walks of life and learn new perspectives even outside of the classroom, Washington said. Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme — unveiled at the recent Berlin Film Festival — aims to turbocharge international collaboration and elevate Hong Kong cinema worldwide by connecting Hong Kong directors with their European peers. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Now, his peers are trying to cement their friend’s legacy in state law. The Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Corridors are silent as students are forbidden to speak with their peers. Emma Bubola, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 But fully remote opportunities are drying up—and researchers have found that those workers are more likely to be laid off than peers who spend time on premises. TIME, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Miss Manners can only hope that your hosts have the good manners not to peer into your soup plate and comment on the contents. Miss Manners | Judith Martin, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Mar. 2023 The policymakers will also try to peer into the future and forecast the likely path of growth, employment, inflation and their own interest rates. Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2023 These indestructible treasures have always been buried in matter, awaiting the invention of scanning electron microscopes and scientists with enough assiduity to spend decades on end peering into their atomic eyes. Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023 The only way to peer deep into Earth’s interior is to use earthquake waves like a scanner. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 22 Feb. 2023 Webb telescope uses celestial Pandora’s box to see distant galaxies View a detailed image of Pandora’s Cluster, a megacluster of galaxies that allowed astronomers to peer into the distant universe. Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 16 Feb. 2023
Verb
Look in the distance — there’s a Southern-style mansion, multiple distinct mountains and even another castle, this one nestled at the top of a mound, its spires peering over a wall. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Stern peered around the sanctuary and asked if anyone had ever spoken with a Palestinian about the subject. Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 Some of the puppies laid on a blanket together inside one of the kennels as people peered at them through the glass. Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 This new image also peers into a clump of helium gas surrounding the galaxy. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 In the lab, the researchers then peered inside individual sand grain crystals of quartz and feldspar to measure environmental radiation that accumulated over thousands of years in the dune’s dark depths. Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Garcia peers out from the belly of the beast in Gucci sunglasses. Vogue, 21 Feb. 2024 Enormous mirrors built in a university lab beneath the football bleachers are used to peer into the deepest corners of space. Jack Healy, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Those peering into the tent gasp at the sudden stench. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French per, from per, adjective, equal, from Latin par

Verb (1)

perhaps by shortening & alteration from appear

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of peer was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near peer

Cite this Entry

“Peer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peer. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

peer

1 of 2 noun
1
: a person of the same rank or class as another
2
a
: a member of one of the five ranks of the British nobility

peer

2 of 2 verb
1
: to look closely or curiously
peered into the dark closet
2
Etymology

Noun

Middle English peer "one on equal standing with another," derived from early French per (adjective) "equal," from Latin par "equal" — related to compare, pair, par, umpire see Word History at umpire

Verb

perhaps an altered and shortened form of appear

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