# peer

> English word · Verb · IPA /pɪə̯/ · frequency rank #5,722

## Definitions
1. To look with difficulty, or as if searching for something.
2. To come in sight; to appear.

## Etymology
From Middle English peren, pyren, piren (“to peer, gaze”), perhaps from Old English *pȳran (“to look, peer”), from Proto-West Germanic *pūrijan (“to look”), related to Saterland Frisian pierje (“to look”), Dutch Low Saxon piren (“to look”), West Flemish pieren (“to look with narrowed eyes, squint at”), Dutch pieren (“to look closely at, examine”), Middle English pouren (“to gaze, look closely”), English pore (“to study meticulously”). Compare also West Frisian pluere (“to peer”), Dutch pluren (“to gaze squintingly”), German Low German plieren (“to blink”), Danish plire (“to peer”), Swedish plira, blira (“to peer”), and thence ultimately related to the root of English blear.
The sense meaning "to be visible" is perhaps from a shortening of appear.

## Easily confused with
- **PR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pr)
- **per** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-per)
- **pet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pet)
- **pen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pen)
- **pie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pie)
- **Poe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-poe)
- **pep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pep)
- **peg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-peg)
- **pew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pew)
- **pes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pes)
- **PEI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pei)
- **pur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pur)
- **PPE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-ppe)
- **pye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pye)
- **pir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pir)
- **poor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-poor)
- **poem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-poem)
- **poet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-poet)
- **Pete** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pete)
- **pour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peer-vs-pour)

## Common misspellings (4)
`eper`, `peerr`, `pere`, `ppeer`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/peer