peep

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: pēp, IPA^(key): /piːp/
• (US) IPA^(key): /pip/,

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːp

Etymology 1

From Middle English pepen. Compare Dutch piepen (“peep”), German Low German piepen (“to peep”), German piepen and pfeifen, all probably onomatopoeic.

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
2. A feeble utterance or complaint.

   I don't want to hear a peep out of you!

3. The sound of a steam engine's whistle; typically shrill.
   • 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:

     "Peep, peep," said Edward, "I'm ready."
     "Peep, peep, peep," said Henry, "so am I."

4. (birdwatching, colloquial) A sandpiper or other small wader.

Translations

Verb

peep (third-person singular simple present peeps, present participle peeping, simple past and past participle peeped)

1. To make a soft, shrill noise like a baby bird.
2. To speak briefly with a quiet voice.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English pepen, variant of piken.

Verb

peep (third-person singular simple present peeps, present participle peeping, simple past and past participle peeped)

1. (intransitive) To look, especially through a narrow opening, or while trying not to be seen or noticed.

   The man peeped through the small hole.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     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.

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     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.

2. (intransitive) To begin to appear; to look forth from concealment; to make the first appearance.
   • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. , London: T N for Henry Herringman, , published 1676, →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     When flowers first peeped, and trees did blossoms bear.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 14, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 70:

     They first caught crabs and quohogs in the sand; grown bolder, they waded out with nets for mackerel; more experienced, they pushed off in boats and captured cod; and at last, launching a navy of great ships on the sea, explored this watery world; put an incessant belt of circumnavigations round it; peeped in at Behring’s Straits; and in all seasons and all oceans declared everlasting war with the mightiest animated mass that has survived the flood; most monstrous and most mountainous!

3. (transitive, slang) To take a look at; check out.

   Did you peep that video I sent you?

   • 2019 December, Justin Blackburn, The Bisexual Christian Suburban Failure Enlightening Bipolar Blues, page 96:

     Peep me, I'm fabulous, I work with the hardest working women at Kay Jeweler's, selling the finest jewels to the richest people.

4. (transitive, African-American Vernacular, slang) To see, uncover.
   • 2006, Noire , Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 58:

     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.

Hypernyms

• glance

Translations

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. A quick look or glimpse, especially a furtive one.
   • 1907, Robert W. Service, “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, in The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses:

     I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside. / I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; […] then the door I opened wide.

   • 1990 October 5, “Souter plans to get right down to work”, in Fort Worth Star-Telegram, volume 85, number 154, section 1, page 14:

     He did manage a brief peep at the building’s Rotunda as he called on members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July.

   • 1970, Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, page 30:

     But at last Mr. Fox gave the order to stop. "I think," he said, "we had better take a peep upstairs now and see where we are. I know where I want to be, but I can't possibly be sure we're anywhere near it."

2. The first partial appearance of something; a beginning to appear.

   the peep of day

3. A peepshow.
   • 1981 December 1, Freddie Greenfield, “Insulting Prison Porn”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 20, page 11:

     A boring lusterless attempt at pornography, a niche above the racks of pulp pocketbooks sold in the front room of peeps.

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Uncertain; perhaps variant of pip.

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. (obsolete) A spot on a die or domino.

Synonyms

• (spot on die or domino): pip

Etymology 4

Back-formation from peeps, a shortened form of people.

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. (British, slang) A person.