What does peeked mean?
Peeked is the past tense and past participle of peek, meaning to take a quick, often furtive look at something. The action is usually brief: a person peeks through a doorway, around a corner, or out from cover, revealing only part of themselves or their attention. The verb can also describe something briefly appearing, as when a smile peeks over a hedge or a detail peeks through a window. In these constructions, peeked conveys modesty, hesitation, or playful surprise rather than the sustained scrutiny implied by stare. The word is informal but widely accepted in everyday English in both British and American usage; peeped is especially common in British speech, though it is not merely a spelling error. Because peeked belongs to the simple past, it can stand alone in a complete sentence or form part of the present perfect with have. It is useful when the precise length and furtiveness of the look matter, capturing a moment of curiosity without implying a prolonged observation.
verbPeeked is the past tense and past participle of peek, meaning to take a quick or furtive look at something. It can also describe something appearing briefly, such as a face or a detail peeking through an opening.
- To take a quick or furtive look at someone or something.
- To appear briefly or partially from behind or through an opening.
"She peeked through the doorway to see who was there."
"He peeked around the corner before crossing the street."
"A patch of blue sky peeked through the clouds."
A peek is a look so quick it can leave before it is properly introduced.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of peeked
The precise origin of the verb peek is uncertain, although the word appears in Middle English and was established in English long before its modern spelling became standard. Its form is Germanic, but it is not securely traceable to a commonly recognized group of Latin or Greek cognates. The ending in peeked is the regular English past-tense and past-participle marker, added to the base verb peek.
Related word forms
How peeked is actually used
Peeked is informal but widely accepted in everyday English in both British and American usage. It often suggests a brief, curious, cautious, or playful look. British speakers also commonly use the closely related form peeped.
Easily confused with peeked
Peeked and peeped are closely related verbs with very similar meanings, but peeped is especially common in British English, while peek is standard in both British and American English.
Peeked is pronounced like 'peakt' and means to take a quick look, whereas picked is pronounced like 'pikt' and means to select or to take up.