pick
( picks plural & 3rd person present) ( picking present participle) ( picked past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you pick a particular person or thing, you choose that one.
Mr Nowell had picked ten people to interview for six sales jobs in London… V n
I had deliberately picked a city with a tropical climate. V n
2 n-sing You can refer to the best things or people in a particular group as the pickof that group.
the N, usu the N of n
The boys here are the pick of the under-15 cricketers in the country…
3 verb When you pick flowers, fruit, or leaves, you break them off the plant or tree and collect them.
She used to pick flowers in the Cromwell Road… V n
4 verb If you pick something from a place, you remove it from there with your fingers or your hand.
He picked the napkin from his lap and placed it alongside his plate… V n prep
5 verb If you pick your nose or teeth, you remove substances from inside your nose or between your teeth.
Edgar, don’t pick your nose, dear… V n
6 verb If you pick a fight or quarrel with someone, you deliberately cause one.
He picked a fight with a waiter and landed in jail… V n with n
7 verb If someone such as a thief picks a lock, they open it without a key, for example by using a piece of wire.
He picked each lock deftly, and rifled the papers within each drawer. V n
8 n-count A pick is the same as a pickaxe.
10 If you pick and choose, you carefully choose only things that you really want and reject the others.
♦
pick and choose phrase Vs inflect, usu PHR n
We, the patients, cannot pick and choose our doctors.
11 If you have your pick of a group of things, you are able to choose any of them that you want.
♦
have one’s pick phrase V inflects, PHR of n
Here is an actress who could have her pick of any part…
12 If you are told to take your pick, you can choose any one that you like from a group of things.
♦
take one’s pick phrase V inflects, oft PHR of/from n
Accountants can take their pick of company cars…
13 If you pick your way across an area, you walk across it very carefully in order to avoid obstacles or dangerous things.
♦
pick one’s way phrase V inflects, PHR prep/adv
The girls were afraid of snakes and picked their way along with extreme caution…
14
→
to pick someone’s brains
→
brain
→
to pick holes in something
→
hole
→
to pick someone’s pocket
→
pocket pick at phrasal verb If you pick at the food that you are eating, you eat only very small amounts of it.
Sarah picked at a plate of cheese for supper, but she wasn’t really hungry. V P n pick off phrasal verb If someone picks off people or aircraft, they shoot them down one by one, aiming carefully at them from a distance.
Both groups on either side are just picking off innocent bystanders… V P n (not pron)
Any decent shot with telescopic sights could pick us off at random. V n P pick on
1 phrasal verb If someone picks on you, they repeatedly criticize you unfairly or treat you unkindly.
INFORMAL Bullies pick on younger children… V P n
2 phrasal verb If someone picks on a particular person or thing, they choose them, for example for special attention or treatment.
(mainly BRIT)
(=pick)
When you have made up your mind, pick on a day when you will not be under much stress… V P n pick out
1 phrasal verb If you pick out someone or something, you recognize them when it is difficult to see them, for example because they are among a large group.
The detective-constable picked out the words with difficulty… V P n (not pron)
Steven describes himself as `a regular guy<endash>you couldn’t pick me out of a crowd’. V n P
2 phrasal verb If you pick out someone or something, you choose them from a group of people or things.
(=select)
I have been picked out to represent the whole team… V P n (not pron)
There are so many great newscasters it’s difficult to pick one out. V n P
3 phrasal verb If part of something is picked outin a particular colour, it is painted in that colour so that it can be seen clearly beside the other parts.
usu passive
(=highlight)
The name is picked out in gold letters over the shop-front. be V-ed P pick over phrasal verb If you pick over a quantity of things, you examine them carefully, for example to reject the ones you do not want.
Pick over the fruit and pile on top of the cream. V P n (not pron) pick up
1 phrasal verb When you pick something up, you lift it up.
He picked his cap up from the floor and stuck it back on his head… V n P
Ridley picked up a pencil and fiddled with it. V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb When you pickyourselfup after you have fallen or been knocked down, you stand up rather slowly.
Anthony picked himself up and set off along the track. V pron-refl P
3 phrasal verb When you pick up someone or something that is waiting to be collected, you go to the place where they are and take them away, often in a car.
She went over to her parents’ house to pick up some clean clothes… V P n (not pron)
I picked her up at Covent Garden to take her to lunch with my mother. V n P
4 phrasal verb If someone is picked up by the police, they are arrested and taken to a police station.
Rawlings had been picked up by police at his office… be V-ed P
The police picked him up within the hour. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
5 phrasal verb If you pick up something such as a skill or an idea, you acquire it without effort over a period of time.
INFORMAL Where did you pick up your English?… V P n (not pron)
6 phrasal verb If you pick up someone you do not know, you talk to them and try to start a sexual relationship with them.
INFORMAL He had picked her up at a nightclub on Kallari Street, where she worked as a singer. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
7 phrasal verb If you pick up an illness, you get it from somewhere or something.
(=catch)
They’ve picked up a really nasty infection from something they’ve eaten. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
8 phrasal verb If a piece of equipment, for example a radio or a microphone, picks up a signal or sound, it receives it or detects it.
We can pick up Italian television… V P n (not pron)
9 phrasal verb If you pick up something, such as a feature or a pattern, you discover or identify it.
Consumers in Europe are slow to pick up trends in the use of information technology. V P n (not pron)
10 phrasal verb If someone picks up a point or topic that has already been mentioned, or if they pick up on it, they refer to it or develop it.
Can I just pick up that gentleman’s point?… V P n (not pron)
I’ll pick up on what I said a couple of minutes ago. V P P n, Also V n P
11 phrasal verb If trade or the economy of a country picks up, it improves.
Industrial production is beginning to pick up. V P
12 phrasal verb If you pick someone up on something that they have said or done, you mention it and tell them that you think it is wrong.
(mainly BRIT)
…if I may pick you up on that point… V n P P n
14 When you pick up the pieces after a disaster, you do what you can to get the situation back to normal again.
♦
pick up the pieces phrase V inflects
Do we try and prevent problems or do we try and pick up the pieces afterwards?…
15 When a vehicle picks up speed, it begins to move more quickly.
♦
pick up speed phrase V inflects
(=accelerate)
Brian pulled away slowly, but picked up speed.
cherry-pick ( cherry-picks 3rd person present) ( cherry-picking present participle) ( cherry-picked past tense & past participle ) If someone cherry-picks people or things, they choose the best ones from a group of them, often in a way that other people consider unfair. verb
The club is in debt while others are queuing to cherry-pick their best players. V n
hand-pick ( hand-picks 3rd person present) ( hand-picking present participle) ( hand-picked past tense & past participle ) , handpick If someone is hand-picked, they are very carefully chosen by someone in authority for a particular purpose or a particular job. verb
He was hand-picked for this job by the Admiral… be V-ed
Sokagakkai was able to hand-pick his successor. V n
ice pick ( ice picks plural ) , icepick An ice pick is a small pointed tool that you use for breaking ice. n-count
pick-me-up ( pick-me-ups plural ) A pick-me-up is something that you have or do when you are tired or depressed in order to make you feel better.
INFORMAL n-count
This is an ideal New Year pick-me-up<endash>a five day holiday in the Bahamas.
pick ‘n’ mix , pick and mix
Pick ‘n’ mix is used to describe a way of getting a collection of things together by choosing a number of different ones.
(BRIT) adj ADJ n
It is, as some senior officials conceded, a pick ‘n’ mix approach to policy., …a pick-and-mix selection of fabrics and wallpapers.
pick-up ( pick-ups plural ) , pickup
1 n-count A pick-up or a pick-up truck is a small truck with low sides that can be easily loaded and unloaded.
2 n-sing A pick-upin trade or in a country’s economy is an improvement in it.
usu N in n
…a pick-up in the housing market…
3 n-count A pick-up takes place when someone picks up a person or thing that is waiting to be collected.
usu N n
The company had pick-up points in most cities…
4 n-count When a pick-up takes place, someone talks to a person in a friendly way in the hope of having a casual sexual relationship with them.
INFORMAL They had come to the world’s most famous pick-up joint.
All synonyms in one line
accompany, acquire, apprehend, arrest, ascertain, en.synonym.one, buy, call for, catch, collar, collect, come for, cop, detect, discover, earn, elate, elevate, escort, exalt, find out, gain vigor, gain vigour, gather, gather up, get, en.synonym.one, get a line, get wind, get word, glean, hear, hoist, hold up, intoxicate, learn, lift, lift up, master, memorise, memorize, nab, nail, nick, obtain, pay for, peck, percolate, perk, perk up, pinch, procure, en.synonym.one, purchase, raise, reap, rear, receive, retrieve, see, take, turn around, uphold, uplift, upraise, cartridge, getaway, pick-me-up, pickup arm, pickup truck, en.synonym.one, tone arm, ute.
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What is another word for Pick up?
Use filters to view other words, we have 2501 synonyms for pick up.
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pick up, lift up, gather upverb
take and lift upward
Synonyms:
percolate, call for, perk, apprehend, perk up, collar, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, find out, turn around, receive, nail, discover, lift up, peck, nab, arrest, get wind, catch, cop, see, intoxicate -
pick upverb
take up by hand
«He picked up the book and started to read»
Synonyms:
percolate, call for, perk, apprehend, perk up, collar, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, find out, turn around, receive, nail, discover, lift up, peck, nab, arrest, get wind, catch, cop, see, intoxicate -
pick upverb
give a passenger or a hitchhiker a lift
«We picked up a hitchhiker on the highway»
Synonyms:
percolate, call for, perk, apprehend, perk up, collar, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, find out, turn around, receive, nail, discover, lift up, peck, nab, arrest, get wind, catch, cop, see, intoxicate -
collect, pick up, gather up, call forverb
gather or collect
«You can get the results on Monday»; «She picked up the children at the day care center»; «They pick up our trash twice a week»
Synonyms:
gain vigor, cop, pile up, take in, peck, call for, pull in, take, invite, gather, nail, need, amass, lift up, perk up, necessitate, arrest, roll up, get word, quest, nab, percolate, demand, garner, see, receive, accumulate, gather up, postulate, request, compile, require, hoard, pull together, collar, turn around, apprehend, get a line, ask, uplift, involve, find out, intoxicate, bespeak, elate, catch, learn, get wind, perk, collect, discover, hear -
learn, hear, get word, get wind, pick up, find out, get a line, discover, seeverb
get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
«I learned that she has two grown-up children»; «I see that you have been promoted»
Synonyms:
turn around, ensure, read, collar, unwrap, key out, reveal, look, experience, get word, visualise, come upon, watch, assure, memorise, fancy, intoxicate, go steady, distinguish, disclose, learn, chance upon, receive, instruct, run into, discover, light upon, escort, try, perk, fall upon, lift up, con, uplift, reckon, give away, take heed, consider, gain vigor, study, name, come across, get a line, elate, collect, chance on, bring out, divulge, take care, let on, control, ascertain, insure, attend, date, realize, check, peck, interpret, meet, image, larn, gather up, strike, take, catch, see to it, cop, find out, see, listen, construe, regard, visualize, describe, picture, find, catch out, call for, perk up, visit, identify, view, project, percolate, arrest, let out, hear, realise, go out, envision, happen upon, determine, take in, nab, get wind, nail, encounter, figure, acquire, examine, expose, break, witness, understand, detect, teach, key, run across, attain, memorize, go through, notice, observe, apprehend -
pick upverb
get in addition, as an increase
«The candidate picked up thousands of votes after his visit to the nursing home»
Synonyms:
percolate, call for, perk, apprehend, perk up, collar, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, find out, turn around, receive, nail, discover, lift up, peck, nab, arrest, get wind, catch, cop, see, intoxicate -
collar, nail, apprehend, arrest, pick up, nab, copverb
take into custody
«the police nabbed the suspected criminals»
Synonyms:
quail at, cop, uplift, peck, hook, savvy, hear, complete, get, dig, percolate, hold back, nail, glom, nail down, pass with flying colors, perk up, smash, arrest, gather up, get word, nab, snitch, boom, call for, see, find out, turn back, grasp, perk, halt, gain vigor, knock off, ace, compass, receive, sweep through, stop, sail through, get the picture, pinpoint, collar, turn around, apprehend, get a line, comprehend, lift up, peg, intoxicate, breeze through, contain, elate, catch, thieve, blast, grok, learn, get wind, hold, collect, discover, check -
pick upverb
buy casually or spontaneously
«I picked up some food for a snack»
Synonyms:
percolate, call for, perk, apprehend, perk up, collar, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, find out, turn around, receive, nail, discover, lift up, peck, nab, arrest, get wind, catch, cop, see, intoxicate -
pick up, receiveverb
register (perceptual input)
«pick up a signal»
Synonyms:
gain vigor, cop, take in, peck, call for, hear, invite, welcome, get, nail, collar, perk up, find, arrest, gather up, get word, have, meet, see, receive, collect, nab, encounter, incur, lift up, turn around, apprehend, get a line, uplift, obtain, find out, percolate, experience, elate, catch, learn, get wind, perk, discover, intoxicate -
pick upverb
lift out or reflect from a background
«The scarf picks up the color of the skirt»; «His eyes picked up his smile»
Synonyms:
percolate, call for, perk, apprehend, perk up, collar, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, find out, turn around, receive, nail, discover, lift up, peck, nab, arrest, get wind, catch, cop, see, intoxicate -
pick upverb
meet someone for sexual purposes
«he always tries to pick up girls in bars»
Synonyms:
percolate, call for, perk, apprehend, perk up, collar, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, find out, turn around, receive, nail, discover, lift up, peck, nab, arrest, get wind, catch, cop, see, intoxicate -
elate, lift up, uplift, pick up, intoxicateverb
fill with high spirits; fill with optimism
«Music can uplift your spirits»
Synonyms:
nail, percolate, call for, perk, lift up, perk up, get wind, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, catch, turn around, apprehend, receive, soak, find out, discover, intoxicate, peck, nab, arrest, inebriate, collar, cop, see -
turn around, pick upverb
improve significantly; go from bad to good
«Her performance in school picked up»
Synonyms:
nail, percolate, call for, swing about, lift up, perk up, get wind, elate, get a line, gain vigor, get word, hear, gather up, uplift, learn, collect, catch, arrest, apprehend, receive, perk, find out, turn around, intoxicate, peck, nab, discover, swing around, collar, cop, see -
catch, pick upverb
perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily
«I caught the aroma of coffee»; «He caught the allusion in her glance»; «ears open to catch every sound»; «The dog picked up the scent»; «Catch a glimpse»
Synonyms:
hitch, cop, take in, peck, call for, capture, beguile, get, percolate, nail, trip up, perk up, captivate, view, arrest, gather up, get word, nab, trance, fascinate, enamor, see, find out, collar, becharm, catch, catch up with, watch, receive, gain vigor, lift up, entrance, apprehend, get a line, charm, uplift, intoxicate, overhear, turn around, elate, enamour, overtake, grab, learn, enchant, get wind, perk, collect, discover, take hold of, bewitch, hear -
peck, pick upverb
eat by pecking at, like a bird
Synonyms:
nag, cop, peck, call for, perk up, nail, lift up, pick, arrest, gather up, get word, nab, see, find out, collect, hen-peck, beak, pick at, learn, receive, gain vigor, collar, turn around, apprehend, smack, get a line, uplift, percolate, peck at, elate, catch, hear, get wind, perk, discover, intoxicate -
perk up, perk, percolate, pick up, gain vigorverb
gain or regain energy
«I picked up after a nap»
Synonyms:
gain vigor, cop, peck, call for, arouse, percolate, nail, energize, lift up, perk up, arrest, gather up, get word, nab, stimulate, energise, see, receive, collect, learn, filter, leach, permeate, collar, turn around, apprehend, get a line, uplift, find out, sink in, brace, elate, catch, hear, get wind, perk, discover, intoxicate
Matched Categories
-
- Bring Out
- Buy
- Commerce
- Eat
- Get
- Improve
- Meet
- Perceive
- Raise
- Stimulate
- Touch
- Transport
How to pronounce pick up?
How to say pick up in sign language?
How to use pick up in a sentence?
-
Jenny Radesky:
Know who your neighbors are, even what your neighborhood social network might be, you may not be that close interpersonally, but someone may be willing to do a grocery store drop-off, or pick-up medications because we’re all in this together.
-
Mark Zandi:
It employs so many people in every community, if consumers pull back and store closings mount, no other sector of the economy will be able to pick up that slack.
-
Thomas Zurbuchen:
It’s so important to go observe them because these asteroids tell us about a chapter of our own story — in this case, the history when the outer planets were forming in the solar system, i’m still amazed by the fact that if you pick up a rock or you look at one of those planetary bodies and you add science to it, it turns into a history book.
-
Monte Peterson:
Fortunately, we have seen some sales pick up to other destinations.
-
Elevate Rope founder:
When you’re jumping rope, you need to be present, in the moment. If you’re not present, you’re going to trip up, when I pick up this rope, I just enter some kind of new realm, another world. It’s just me and this rope and my music, and you can just let go of everything around you. And that’s just the best feeling.
Translations for pick up
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- امسكArabic
- samle, tageDanish
- abschleppen, weitermachen, aufheben, aufnehmen, begreifen, abheben, fortfahren, fortsetzen, übernehmen, mitnehmen, sich berappeln, verstehen, wieder einsetzen, hochheben, auffangen, wahrnehmen, empfangen, abholen, sich fangen, wieder loslegen, sich erholen, kapieren, bemerken, wieder aufnehmen, abnehmenGerman
- coger, recolectar, mejorar, captar, contestar, recogerSpanish
- nousta, ottaa kyytiin, kasvaa, huomata, vastata, ymmärtää, oppia, iskeä, nostaa, vastaanottaa, panna merkille, poimia, jatkaa, maksaaFinnish
- chercher, draguer, soulever, s’améliorer, noter, reprendre, capter, collecterFrench
- pioc suas, tógIrish
- togScottish Gaelic
- אָסַףHebrew
- उठानाHindi
- sollevare, tirare su, raccogliereItalian
- 迎えに行く, 拾い上げる, ナンパする, 拾う, 乗せるJapanese
- 마중하다, 작업하다Korean
- ngoratMalay
- hente (noen)Norwegian
- odebrać, podnosić, podrywać, podnieśćPolish
- coletar, buscar, captar, pegar, apanharPortuguese
- возобновить, улавливать, подбирать, забирать, уловить, подобрать, брать трубку, улучшаться, забрать, подцеплять, поднимать, взять трубку, улучшиться, подцепить, поднять, возобновлятьRussian
- ไปรับThai
- toplamakTurkish
- اٹھاناUrdu
- nhặt lênVietnamese
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Citation
Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:
Are we missing a good synonym for pick up?
Synonyms of pickup
-
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as in increase
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to master
to acquire complete knowledge, understanding, or skill in
he has a knack for picking up a language in a few weeks
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to collect
to bring together in one body or place
pick up all of your things because we have to be off this beach before dark
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to buy
to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for
could you pick up some milk at the store?
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to gain
to gradually increase in
the boat was just picking up speed when it was rammed by another boat
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to lift
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
pick up your feet while I vacuum in front of the sofa
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to arrest
to take or keep under one’s control by authority of law
police picked up the fugitive when she went out to buy food
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to clean house
to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff
I thought you said you had picked up, so why are these things still lying around the rec room?
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in to resume
to begin again or return to after an interruption
after the protestors were removed from the auditorium, the speaker picked up his lecture right where he had left off
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in to trim
to make neat
the boy’s bedroom looked like it hadn’t been picked up in quite a while
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Thesaurus Entries Near pickup
Cite this Entry
“Pickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickup. Accessed 2 May. 2023.
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