Pick
English Meaning
- To select from a group: The best swimmer was picked.
- To select or cull.
- To gather in; harvest: They were picking cotton.
- To gather the harvest from: picked the field in one day.
- To remove the outer covering of; pluck: pick a chicken clean of feathers.
- To tear off bit by bit: pick meat from the bones.
- To remove extraneous matter from (the teeth).
- To poke and pull at (something) with the fingers.
- To break up, separate, or detach by means of a sharp pointed instrument.
- To pierce or make (a hole) with a sharp pointed instrument.
- To take up (food) with the beak; peck: The parrot picked its seed.
- To steal the contents of: My pocket was picked.
- To open (a lock) without the use of a key.
- To provoke: pick a fight.
- Music To pluck (an instrument's strings).
- Music To play (an instrument) by plucking its strings.
- Music To play (a tune) in this manner: picked a melody out on the guitar.
- To decide with care or forethought.
- To work with a pick.
- To find fault or make petty criticisms; carp: He's always picking about something.
- To be harvested or gathered: The ripe apples picked easily.
- The act of picking, especially with a sharp pointed instrument.
- The act of selecting or choosing; choice: got first pick of the desserts.
- Something selected as the most desirable; the best or choicest part: the pick of the crop.
- The amount or quantity of a crop that is picked by hand.
- Basketball A screen.
- pick apart To refute or find flaws in by close examination: The lawyer picked the testimony apart.
- pick at To pluck or pull at, especially with the fingers.
- pick at To eat sparingly or without appetite: The child just picked at the food.
- pick at Informal To nag: Don't pick at me.
- pick off To shoot after singling out: The hunter picked the ducks off one by one.
- pick off Baseball To catch (a base runner) off base and put out with a quick throw, as from the pitcher or catcher, often to a specified base.
- pick off Sports To intercept, as a football pass.
- pick on To tease or bully.
- pick out To choose or select: picked out a nice watch.
- pick out To discern from the surroundings; distinguish: picked out their cousins from the crowd.
- pick over To sort out or examine item by item: picked over the grapes before buying them.
- pick up To take up (something) by hand: pick up a book.
- pick up To collect or gather: picked up some pebbles.
- pick up To tidy up: picked up the bedroom.
- pick up To take on (passengers or freight, for example): The bus picks up commuters at five stops.
- pick up To acquire casually or by accident: picked up a new coat on sale.
- pick up To acquire (knowledge) by learning or experience: picked up French quickly.
- pick up To claim: picked up her car at the repair shop.
- pick up To buy: picked up some milk at the store.
- pick up To accept (a bill or charge) in order to pay it: Let me pick up the tab.
- pick up To come down with (a disease): picked up a virus at school.
- pick up To gain: picked up five yards on that play.
- pick up Informal To take into custody: The agents picked up six smugglers.
- pick up Slang To make casual acquaintance with, usually in anticipation of sexual relations.
- pick up To come upon and follow: The dog picked up the scent.
- pick up To come upon and observe: picked up two submarines on sonar.
- pick up To continue after a break: Let's pick up the discussion after lunch.
- pick up Informal To improve in condition or activity: Sales picked up last fall.
- pick up Slang To prepare a sudden departure: She just picked up and left.
- pick and choose To select with great care.
- pick holes in To seek and discover flaws or a flaw in: picked holes in the argument.
- pick (one's) way To find passage and make careful progress through it: picked her way down the slope.
- pick (someone) to pieces To criticize sharply.
- pick up on Informal To take into the mind and understand, typically with speed: is quick to pick up on new computer skills.
- pick up on Informal To notice: picked up on my roommate's bad mood and left him alone.
- A tool for breaking hard surfaces, consisting of a curved bar sharpened at both ends and fitted to a long handle.
- Something, such as an ice pick, toothpick, or picklock, used for picking.
- A long-toothed comb, usually designed for use on curly hair.
- A pointed projection on the front of the blade of a figure skate.
- Music A plectrum.
- A weft thread in weaving.
- A passage or throw of the shuttle in a loom.
- To throw (a shuttle) across a loom.
- Archaic To cast; pitch.