pick

Study(26)

/pɪk/

noun 5verb 5name 1

Collocations

(noun.)

VERB + PICK

have

He had his pick of three different jobs after graduation.

take

She walked into the ice cream shop and took her pick from all the colorful flavors available.

PHRASES

get/take first pick

She took first pick of the desserts at the buffet because she arrived early.

(verb.) choose sb/sth

ADV

at random

The teacher picked a student at random to answer the difficult question.

out

The teacher picked out Sarah to read the poem aloud in front of the class.

PREP

The company picked him as their new manager last month.

for

My sister was picked for the school play last week.

(verb.) take sth from the place where it is growing

PHRASES

freshly picked

The farmer's market had delicious freshly picked tomatoes that still smelled like the garden.

PHRASAL VERBS pick sth up

ADV

carefully, gingerly

She carefully picked the ripe strawberries from the garden this morning.

idly

While waiting for the doctor, she idly picked at the loose thread on her sweater.

VERB + PICK

try to | bend to, stoop to

PREP

She picked up her suitcase by the handle and walked toward the train platform.

from, off

He picked a ripe apple from the tree in his garden.

Definitions

noun

A tool used for digging; a pickaxe.

An anchor.

It's better to amble around, drop the "pick" for a lunchtime swim or beachcomb, then find a nice anchorage for the night.

A pointed hammer used for dressing millstones.

A tool for unlocking a lock without the original key; a lock pick, picklock.

A comb with long widely spaced teeth, for use with tightly curled hair.

verb

To grasp and pull with the fingers or fingernails.

Don't pick at that scab.

He picked his nose.

To harvest a fruit or vegetable for consumption by removing it from the plant to which it is attached; to harvest an entire plant by removing it from the ground.

It's time to pick the tomatoes.

To pull apart or away, especially with the fingers; to pluck.

She picked flowers in the meadow.

to pick feathers from a fowl

To take up; especially, to gather from here and there; to collect; to bring together.

to pick rags

To remove something from somewhere with a pointed instrument, with the fingers, or with the teeth.

to pick the teeth; to pick a bone; to pick a goose; to pick a pocket

Did you pick Master Slender's purse?

name

A surname.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the act of choosing or selecting

noun — a heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head tha

pickax
pickaxe

noun — a small thin device (of metal or plastic or ivory) used to p

plectrum
plectron

noun — the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving

noun — the person or thing chosen or selected

noun — the best people or things in a group

cream

noun — the quantity of a crop that is harvested

picking

verb — remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits

clean

verb — harass with constant criticism

blame

verb — eat intermittently

verb — hit lightly with a picking motion

verb — look for and gather

verb — pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion

verb — pay for something

foot

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

pick someone's brain

To seek information from someone knowledgeable; to ask questions of someone.

After I spent a couple of hours picking his brain, his scheme started to make sense.

pick corners

To choose a preference (as in predicting which boxer will win a match).

pick up the tab

To accept a bill and pay it, especially at a bar or restaurant.

When the bill came to just 33,000 forints, I did something very out of character: I picked up the tab. It blew the budget for the day, but felt great.

have a bone to pick

To have a complaint or grievance (with somebody); to have a contentious issue to discuss.

"I offered her that sum if she would take the garment back. And she did, she did, and I shall never have to wear that dreadful satin again." ¶ I made a note of this dressmaker's na

pick of the litter

The best person or item in a group; the best that one has to offer.

Of the books I read this summer, A Tale of Two Cities was the pick of the litter.

Example Bank

It's better to amble around, drop the "pick" for a lunchtime swim or beachcomb, then find a nice anchorage for the night.

Wiktionary

Take down my buckler […] and grind the pick on 't.

Wiktionary

France and Russia have the pick of our stables.

Wiktionary

Don't pick at that scab.

Wiktionary

He picked his nose.

Wiktionary

It's time to pick the tomatoes.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, pick is marked as slang. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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