Definition of peacock in English:

noun

• 1A male peafowl, which has very long tail feathers that have eye-like markings and can be erected and fanned out in display.

  Example sentences

  • ‘Just beyond the bridge was a bird shop with a garden full of tall palms, and peacocks and pheasants in big cages.’
  • ‘The hospital has 272 cages and 13 wards in all; housing pigeons, peacocks, partridges, white eagles, ducks, love birds and rabbits in a three-storey building.’
  • ‘In some other species, such as peacocks, the female alone chooses her mate.’
  • ‘Like its relative the pheasant, the peacock prefers to run rather than fly, except in cases of sheer danger when it takes to the wing.’
  • ‘The effect makes me think of a dark peacock which opens its tail feathers to reveal rich, vibrant colour.’
  • ‘Imported birds such as exotic pheasants, parrots and peacocks were very popular and were kept in aviaries to be bred or shown to important visitors.’
  • ‘They took pictures of displaying peacocks to count the number of ocelli, and captured them to measure tail length.’
  • ‘And as male rivalry increased, so did the behaviour - researchers compared it to male peacocks fanning out their feathers when more suitors were around.’
  • ‘Male peacocks shed and re-grow tail feathers each year.’
  • ‘For instance, male peacocks not only have a long tail, but they are brightly colored and have eye spots, a crest on their head, spurs on their feet, and a mating call.’
  • ‘Far below them in the undergrowth, hare, jungle fowl along with peacock and quail, lived in harmony.’
  • ‘We saw woodpeckers, a remote airplane in flight, and a peacock with its tail feathers fanned!’
  • ‘There is even the prospect that the human intellect might be a by-product of sexual selection, comparable to the peacock's flamboyant tail feathers.’
  • ‘She added something should be done to protect the remaining bird, and offered any help necessary to ensure a future for peacocks and peahens in the gardens.’
  • ‘A feeder from Shanghai Zoo said the peacock was a two-year-and-a-half male and it may be raised by nearby residents.’
  • ‘Something began to scream at us harshly, and then we saw it was a peacock, like a displaced king, perched on the battered wall surrounding.’
  • ‘The peacocks cause considerable disturbance with their raucous cries, which usually begin at around 4am.’
  • ‘It should be noted that a peacock is a male peafowl and a peahen is a female peafowl.’
  • ‘In springtime the display of the peacocks ' plumage is a very worthy sight, so I hope steps may be taken to increase their number.’
  • ‘Without a doubt, the best wagglers are made from the tail feathers of the peacock.’

  Synonyms

  boaster, brag, bragger, show-off, blusterer, trumpeter, swaggerer, poser, poseur, poseuse, egotist, self-publicist

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1 An ostentatious or vain person.
     ‘these young men have always considered themselves the peacocks of Europe’

     More example sentences

     • ‘We're just peacocks flaunting our tail feathers.’
     • ‘Both sons are strutting peacocks, vain and confident.’