peer pressure

American

[peer presh-er] / ˈpɪər ˈprɛʃ ər /

noun

social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.

peer pressure Cultural

The social influence a peer group exerts on its individual members, as each member attempts to conform to the expectations of the group. (See conformity.)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One of my mom group chats recently turned to strength training, and I copped to finally succumbing to peer pressure and buying weights on Amazon—5 pounders, to be exact.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There is peer pressure, because they've seen what their friends did. There is the expectation that has been planted with an affluent lifestyle. And there is the idea of showing effort," he said.

From Barron's

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has painted social media as "a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators".

From Barron's

At a youth group in Poole, Dorset, young people said their devices helped them stay in touch with friends and feel safer, but could also increase anxiety and peer pressure.

From BBC

His mum Kylie says she pleaded with the police to act, having felt she'd lost her son to peer pressure.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023