Standard Lemma guide

peek

name · noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • pēk
  • /piːk/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: peak
  • homophone: peke
  • homophone: pique
  • rhymes with -iːk
  • CMU ARPABET: P IY1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A quick glance or look.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Misspelling of pique.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, informal, misspelling

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Acronym of polyetheretherketone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, intransitive

Examples

  • Close your eyes, and no peeking!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To be only slightly, partially visible, as if peering out from a hiding place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To briefly move out of cover (to gather visual information).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, intransitive

Qualifier: especially first-person shooters

Topics: video-games

Examples

  • Sniper watching the site; don't peek.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To take a look at; to check out.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, transitive

Examples

  • Peek my new shoes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To retrieve (a value) from a memory address.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, informal, transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

a secret look

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: peep

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: look, looking, looking at

11

verb

Meaning 11

throw a glance at; take a brief look at

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She only glanced at the paper
  • I only peeked--I didn't see anything interesting

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glance, glint

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: look

History

Etymology

From Middle English *peken, piken, pyken (“to peep”), probably a fusion of Middle English pepen (“to peep”) and keken, kiken (“to keek, look, spy”), equivalent to a blend of peep + keek. Perhaps also possibly a metathetic alteration of Middle English kepen, kipen, kypen (“to keep, look, observe, watch”).

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: loer — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Bulgarian: надничам (nadničam) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Cherokee: ᎠᎦᏘᎭ (agatiha) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Chinese Cantonese: 偷窺 /偷窥 (tau1 kwai1) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Chinese Cantonese: 偷睇 (tau1 tai2) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Chinese Cantonese: 𥊙 (zong1) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Chinese Mandarin: 窺視 /窥视 (kuīshì) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偷看 (tōukàn) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Dutch: gluren — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Finnish: kurkistaa — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • French: jeter un coup d'œil — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Galician: guichar — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Galician: espreitar — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Galician: axexar — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • German: lugen — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • German: gucken — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • German: linsen — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Hebrew: הציץ (heitsíts) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Italian: sbirciare — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Japanese: 覗く (nozoku) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Mokilese: wujohr — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Persian: نگاه دزدانه (negâhe dozdâna) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Portuguese: dar uma espiada — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Portuguese: espreitar — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Romanian: trage cu ochiul — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Romanian: arunca o privire — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Russian: загля́дывать (zagljádyvatʹ) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Russian: загляну́ть (zagljanútʹ) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Russian: подгля́дывать (podgljádyvatʹ) — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Spanish: entrever — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Spanish: pishpar — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Spanish: pispar — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Spanish: atisbar — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Spanish: echar un vistazo — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Swedish: kika — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Swedish: slänga ett öga — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Swedish: glutta — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Swedish: tjuvkika — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Turkish: dikizlemek — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Turkish: göz atmak — To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep
  • Finnish: pilkottaa — To be only slightly, partially visible
  • Finnish: pilkistää — To be only slightly, partially visible
  • Spanish: entreverse — To be only slightly, partially visible
  • Spanish: atisbarse — To be only slightly, partially visible
  • Finnish: hakea — computing: To retrieve the value from a memory address
  • Finnish: lukea — computing: To retrieve the value from a memory address
  • German: im Speicher nachsehen — computing: To retrieve the value from a memory address