peeked

Peeked is the past tense and past participle of the verb peek, meaning to look quickly and typically briefly or secretively through or around something. The action implies a quick, partial, or cautious glance rather than a thorough examination. It can describe physical looking or a glance into something, such as a curtain, a door, or someone’s notebook, as well as a figurative quick glance at information or a situation.

Common collocations include look, glance, through, at, into, with; examples: “She peeked through the blinds,” “He peeked at the surprise,” “The crowd peeked into the box.” The term is everyday in American and other varieties of English; British usage often prefers “peeped” for similar senses, though both are common.

Etymology: The exact origin of peek is uncertain; it is generally treated as an old imitative or onomatopoeic English verb. The past tense form “peeked” followed standard English regularization.

See also: peek, peep, peeking, curiosity.