peers

IPA/pɪər/
KK[pˈɪrz]IPA/pɪr/

peers — verb

  • peerspresent simple I / you / we / they
  • peerses3rd person singular
  • peersing-ing form
  • peersedpast simple

1. to look very carefully at something that is difficult to see, for example becaus

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to look very carefully at something that is difficult to see, for example because there is not enough light or because your view is blocked

Example

Yasmin peered through the fog, trying to read the street sign at the corner.

peer + through [obstacle]

The old man put on his glasses and peered closely at the faded photograph.

peer + closely + at [object]

Common collocations
  • peer at
  • peer into
  • peer through
  • peer closely
  • peer cautiously
Synonyms
  • squint

    suggests the eyes are partly closed to see better, often due to bright light or poor vision

  • snoop

    implies looking secretly or prying, often with negative intent

  • strain to see

    emphasises effort rather than direction of gaze

Grammar Patterns

peer + at/into/through

Usage Note

Frequently followed by a preposition such as 'at', 'into', or 'through' to show the direction or object of the gaze. Cannot take a direct object: you peer 'at' something, not peer something.

Common Mistakes

She peered the dark room for her keys.
She peered into the dark room for her keys.
'peer' is intransitive; it needs a preposition before the object.

peers — noun

Word family

  • peer
    verbB2
  • peerless
    adjectiveC1
  • peerage
    nounC1
  • peerness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe people who share something in common, but they differ in emphasis. 'Peers' (same age/status sense) is the broadest: it can mean people of the same age, social rank, or ability level within a group. 'Contemporaries' focuses narrowly on time — people who lived or existed during the same period (e.g. 'Shakespeare and his contemporaries'). 'Colleagues' is restricted to professional or workplace settings and does not imply equal rank (your boss can be your colleague). 'Equals' stresses identical rank or ability but sounds more formal and is less common in everyday conversation. In practice: a student who worries about what her 'peers' think is concerned about classmates her age; if she worries about her 'colleagues', she is already at work.

peers ↗contemporaries ↗colleagues ↗equals ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle English

The word 'peer' comes from Latin 'par' meaning 'equal'. It passed into Old French as 'per' (equal, companion) and then into Middle English around the 13th century, first as a noun for someone of equal rank and later as a verb meaning 'to look closely', possibly influenced by the idea of matching gazes.

First known use

1580

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb (2)