Henpeck

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  henpeck \hen"peck`\, hen-peck \hen"-peck`\(h[e^]n"p[e^]k`), v.
     t. [imp. & p. p. {Henpecked} (h[e^]n"p[e^]kt`); p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Henpecking}.]
     To bother persistently with trivial complaints; to subject to
     petty authority; -- said of a woman who thus treats her male
     companion, especially of wives who thus dominate their


     husbands. Commonly used in the past participle (often
     adjectively); as, henpecked for years, he finally left her.
     [1913 Webster +PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hen-peck
       v : bother persistently with trivial complaints; "She nags her
           husband all day long" [syn: {nag}, {peck}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  62 Moby Thesaurus words for "henpeck":
     beat down, break, browbeat, bug, bulldoze, bully, carp, carp at,
     castrate, cavil, clamp down on, coerce, compel, cow, daunt,
     despotize, domineer, domineer over, enslave, fret at, fuss,
     fuss at, grind, grind down, harass, hassle, hector, intimidate,
     keep down, keep under, lord it over, nag, nibble at, niggle,
     oppress, overawe, overbear, overmaster, override, peck at, pester,
     pick at, pick on, press heavy on, repress, ride over,
     ride roughshod over, subjugate, suppress, terrorize, torment,
     trample down, trample upon, tread down, tread upon, tyrannize,
     tyrannize over, unman, walk all over, walk over, weigh heavy on,
     yap at