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peter

1 American  
[pee-ter] / ˈpi tər /

verb (used without object)

  1. to diminish gradually and stop; dwindle to nothing; gradually come to an end (usually followed by out oraway ): The hearings petered to an inevitable conclusion.

    The criticism seems to have petered out.

    The hearings petered to an inevitable conclusion.

  2. to tire; become exhausted (usually followed byout ).

    I began to peter out after walking about 2 miles.
peter 2 American  
[pee-ter] / ˈpi tər /

noun

Slang: Vulgar.

  1. penis.

peter 3 American  
[pee-ter] / ˈpi tər /

noun

Whist.

  1. a signal for an echo.

Peter 4 American  
[pee-ter] / ˈpi tər /

noun

  1. Also called Simon Peter.  died a.d. 67?, one of the 12 apostles and the reputed author of two of the Epistles.

  2. either of these two Epistles in the New Testament, I Peter or II Peter.

  3. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter P.

  4. a male given name.

peter 1 British  
/ ˈpiːtə /

verb

  1. (intr; foll by out or away) to fall (off) in volume, intensity, etc, and finally cease

    the cash petered out in three months
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
peter 2 British  
/ ˈpiːtə /

verb

  1. to play a high card before a low one in a suit, usually a conventional signal of a doubleton holding or of strength in that suit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act of petering

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
peter 3 British  
/ ˈpiːtə /

noun

  1. a safe, till, or cash box

  2. a prison cell

  3. the witness box in a courtroom

  4. a slang word for penis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Peter 4 British  
/ ˈpiːtə /

noun

  1. Saint. Also called: Simon Peter. died ?67 ad , a fisherman of Bethsaida, who became leader of the apostles and is regarded by Roman Catholics as the first pope; probably martyred at Rome. Feast day: June 29 or Jan 18

  2. either of two epistles traditionally ascribed to Peter (in full The First Epistle and The Second Epistle of Peter )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Peter Cultural  

  1. Chief among the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, he was a fisherman, originally named Simon (and often called Simon Peter). Jesus gave him the name Rock, of which “Peter” is a translation. Peter showed great faith but also exhibited great failings (see Get thee behind me, Satan). In the frightening hours before the Crucifixion, Peter three times denied being a follower of Jesus, just as Jesus had predicted he would. Nevertheless, Peter went on to become the leader of the early Christians (see also Christian) (see Pentecost), thus fulfilling another prophecy of Jesus, who had said of Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church …. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

Discover More

The great church of the Vatican, Saint Peter's Basilica, was later built on what was believed to be the site of his burial.

Peter is often depicted holding keys. Roman Catholics maintain a number of traditions about Peter: that he was the first of the popes, for example, and that he was martyred at Rome by being crucified upside down, because he refused to be crucified as Jesus had been.

Etymology

Origin of peter1

First recorded in 1845–50; origin uncertain

Origin of peter2

First recorded in 1870–75; generic use of the proper name

Origin of peter3

First recorded in 1885–90; from blue peter

Origin of Peter4

Middle English; Old English Petrus < Latin < Greek Pétros stone, translation of Syriac kēfā

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.

A joke about Peter Mandelson being on the guestlist – "no, sorry, that was another list" – was edited out by ITV from the TV broadcast.

From BBC

Peter Supino of Wolfe Research said in his own report that Paramount Warner faces “the difficult task of growing share while simultaneously deleveraging, a balance that could come at the expense of content investment.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Amazon’s new artificial intelligence czar, Peter DeSantis, is a larger-than-life figure within the company.

From The Wall Street Journal

The venture capitalists Peter Thiel and Keith Rabois bought homes in Miami Beach and opened an office for their venture capital fund in Miami, too.

From The Wall Street Journal

A poll this week showed Orbán’s Fidesz Party trailing by 20 percentage points among decided voters behind the Tisza Party, headed by former Orbán loyalist Péter Magyar.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.