# peek

/ˈpik/ (US) · /pˈiːk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/peek
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to look secretly

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to look at something quickly and secretly, especially when you are not supposed to.

For teachers: to look surreptitiously or slyly, often through a small opening or from a concealed position.

- The children tried to peek through the keyhole to see their presents.
- She couldn't resist the urge to peek at the final chapter of the novel while she was only halfway through the book.

### 2. to be partially visible

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to be just barely visible, like something coming out from behind a cloud.

For teachers: to be only partially or slightly visible, as if emerging from a hiding place or cover.

- The sun began to peek through the clouds after the heavy rain.
- A few bright green shoots were starting to peek through the melting snow, signalling the arrival of early spring.

### 3. to read memory

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Archaic

to look at a specific piece of information stored in a computer's memory.

For teachers: to retrieve a value from a specific memory address, common in early programming languages like BASIC.

- The programmer used a command to peek at the data in that memory slot.
- In legacy systems, developers would frequently peek and poke memory addresses to manipulate hardware registers directly.

### 4. a quick look

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a quick or secret look at something.

For teachers: a brief or surreptitious glance.

- Take a peek inside the box and tell me what you see.
- The curator allowed us a sneak peek of the new exhibit before it officially opened to the general public.

## Examples

- I took a quick peek at my birthday presents.
- The developer gave us a sneak peek at the new software interface before the official launch next month.
- Despite the strict embargo, several journalists managed to get a peek at the classified documents during the brief recess in the hearing.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.