peep

/pip/

/pip/

Other forms: peeped; peeping; peeps

To peep is to take a quick, secret glance at something. Kids might peep into the living room on Christmas morning to see if Santa came the night before.

You can peep through the blinds to see who's ringing your doorbell, or watch the sky, hoping the sun will peep (or suddenly appear) from behind the clouds so you can go to the beach as planned. Another kind of peep is the high chirping sound a chick or baby bird makes. This second meaning is imitative — in other words, the word peep sounds like the noise itself.

Definitions of peep

1. verb

   look furtively
   type of:

   look

   perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
2. verb

   cause to appear
   “he peeped his head through the window”

   type of:

   show

   make visible or noticeable
3. verb

   appear as though from hiding
   “the new moon peeped through the tree tops”

   type of:

   appear

   come into sight or view
4. noun

   a secret look
   synonyms: peek

   type of:

   look, looking, looking at

   the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
5. verb

   make high-pitched sounds
   synonyms: cheep, chirp, chirrup

   types:

   chitter, twitter

   make high-pitched sounds, as of birds

   type of:

   emit, let loose, let out, utter

   express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)
6. verb

   speak in a hesitant and high-pitched tone of voice
   type of:

   mouth, speak, talk, utter, verbalise, verbalize

   express in speech
7. noun

   the short weak cry of a young bird
   synonyms: cheep

   type of:

   cry

   the characteristic utterance of an animal