From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpiquepique1 /piːk/ noun [uncountable] 1 ANNOYa feeling of being annoyed or upset, especially because someone has ignored you or insulted you He stormed out in a fit of pique.2 (also piqué)TIM a type of material made of cotton, silk, or rayon
Examples from the Corpus
pique• You have to go beyond that, transcend revenge and pique and cruelty and cowardice.• In a fit of pique, she'd included some wild canvases in the last show.• She'd lied about it out of pique, but now it seemed to be turning to her advantage.• In July, in a fit of progressive pique, I considered bolting for Nader.• But when he had asked her to marry him, she had declined out of nothing more than pique.• Yellow pique with little cap sleeves.piquepique2 verb 1 [transitive]ANNOY to make someone feel annoyed or upset, especially by ignoring them or making them look stupid Privately, Zarich was piqued that his offer was rejected.Grammar Pique is usually passive in this meaning.2 → pique your interest/curiosity→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
pique• She was uncompromisingly hostile to him, which piqued and fascinated him.• London's leading pair, as if piqued by this, turned 30 September into the longest afternoon.• From the start my interest was most piqued by Valadon and Meurent, perhaps because I identified with them the most.• But my comment seemed to have piqued Lleland.• But organization is not the arena that piques my interest most.• But three recent cases are piquing our interest, and analysts say they may signal new and more venal form of corruption.• Freshfields's new marbled offices off Fleet Street would pique the ego of the grandest City banker.• What we want to do first, though, is to pique your interest by sharing some of the accomplishments.Origin pique2 (1500-1600) French piquer “to prick, sting” 