/ pɪə(r); NAmE pɪr/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ usually pl. ] a person who is the same age or who has the same social status as you :
She enjoys the respect of her peers.
Children are worried about failing in front of their peers.
Peer pressure is strong among young people (= they want to be like other people of the same age) .
2.
(in Britain) a member of the nobility
—see also life peer , peeress
■ verb
[ v , usually + adv. / prep. ] to look closely or carefully at sth, especially when you cannot see it clearly :
We peered into the shadows.
He went to the window and peered out.
She kept peering over her shoulder.
He peered closely at the photograph.
➡ note at stare
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb late 16th cent.: perhaps a variant of dialect pire or perhaps partly from a shortening of appear .
noun Middle English : from Old French peer , from Latin par equal.