ENGLISH THESAURUS & DICTIONARY

pick

noun · verb

Words like pick

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98 words · noun, verbSort by

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MEANING & USAGE

Definitions & examples

01noun

the person or thing chosen or selected

“he was my pick for mayor”

02noun

the quantity of a crop that is harvested

“he sent the first picking of berries to the market”

“it was the biggest peach pick in years”

03noun

the best people or things in a group

“the cream of England's young men were killed in the Great War”

04noun

the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving

17 more meanings

05noun

a small thin device (of metal or plastic or ivory) used to pluck a stringed instrument

06noun

a thin sharp implement used for removing unwanted material

“he used a pick to clean the dirt out of the cracks”

07noun

a heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends

“they used picks and sledges to break the rocks”

08noun

a basketball maneuver; obstructing an opponent with one's body

“he was called for setting an illegal pick”

09noun

the act of choosing or selecting

“your choice of colors was unfortunate”

“you can take your pick”

10verb

select carefully from a group

“She finally picked her successor”

“He picked his way carefully”

11verb

look for and gather

“pick mushrooms”

“pick flowers”

12verb

harass with constant criticism

“Don't always pick on your little brother”

13verb

provoke

“pick a fight or a quarrel”

14verb

remove in small bits

“pick meat from a bone”

15verb

remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits

“Clean the turkey”

16verb

pilfer or rob

“pick pockets”

17verb

pay for something

“pick up the tab”

“pick up the burden of high-interest mortgages”

18verb

pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion

“he plucked the strings of his mandolin”

19verb

attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example

“Pick open the ice”

20verb

hit lightly with a picking motion

21verb

eat intermittently; take small bites of

“He pieced at the sandwich all morning”

“She never eats a full meal — she just nibbles”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗

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Expressions with “pick”

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Explore multiword dictionary entries containing this word. Each has its own meanings and related words.

pick at pick up ice pick pick off pick out hoof pick lock pick pick over