pick1

[pik] /pɪk/
verb (used with object)
1.
to choose or select from among a group:
to pick a contestant from the audience.
2.
to seek and find occasion for; provoke:
to pick a fight.
3.
to attempt to find; seek out:
to pick flaws in an argument.
4.
to steal the contents of:
Her pocket was picked yesterday.
5.
to open (a lock) with a device other than the key, as a sharp instrument or wire, especially for the purpose of burglary.
6.
to pierce, indent, dig into, or break up (something) with a pointed instrument:
to pick rock; to pick ore.
7.
to form (a hole) by such action:
to pick a hole in asphalt.
8.
to use a pointed instrument, the fingers, the teeth, the beak, etc., on (a thing), in order to remove or loosen something, as a small part or adhering matter:
to pick one's teeth.
9.
to prepare for use by removing a covering piece by piece, as feathers, hulls, or other parts:
to pick a fowl.
10.
to detach or remove piece by piece with the fingers:
She picked the meat from the bones.
11.
to pluck or gather one by one:
to pick flowers.
12.
(of birds or other animals) to take up (small bits of food) with the bill or teeth.
13.
to eat daintily or in small morsels.
14.
to separate, pull apart, or pull to pieces:
to pick fibers.
15.
Music.
  1. to pluck (the strings of an instrument).
  2. to play (a stringed instrument) by plucking with the fingers.
verb (used without object)
16.
to strike with or use a pick or other pointed instrument on something.
17.
(of birds or other animals) to take up small bits of food with the bill or teeth:
The hens were busily picking about in their coop.
18.
to select carefully or fastidiously.
19.
to pilfer; steal.
20.
to pluck or gather fruit, flowers, etc.
21.
Basketball. to execute a pick.
noun
22.
the act of choosing or selecting; choice; selection:
to take one's pick.
23.
a person or thing that is selected:
He is our pick for president.
24.
the choicest or most desirable part, example, or examples:
This horse is the pick of the stable.
25.
the right of selection:
He gave me my pick of the litter.
26.
the quantity of a crop picked, as from trees, bushes, etc., at a particular time:
The pick was poor this season.
27.
Printing.
  1. a speck of dirt, hardened ink, or extra metal on set type or a plate.
  2. a small area removed from the surface of a coated paper by ink that adheres to the form.
28.
a stroke with something pointed:
The rock shattered at the first pick of the ax.
29.
Basketball. an offensive maneuver in which a player moves into a position between a defender and a teammate with the ball so as to prevent the defender from interfering with the shot.
Verb phrases
30.
pick at,
  1. to find fault with unnecessarily or persistently; nag.
  2. to eat sparingly or daintily:
    As he was ill, he only picked at his food.
  3. to grasp at; touch; handle:
    The baby loved to pick at her mother's glasses.
31.
pick off,
  1. to remove by pulling or plucking off.
  2. to single out and shoot:
    The hunter picked off a duck rising from the marsh.
  3. Baseball. to put out (a base runner) in a pick-off play.
32.
pick on,
  1. Informal. to criticize or blame; tease; harass.
  2. to single out; choose:
    The professor always picks on me to translate long passages.
33.
pick out,
  1. to choose; designate:
    to pick out one's successor.
  2. to distinguish from that which surrounds or accompanies; recognize:
    to pick out a well-known face in a crowd.
  3. to discern (sense or meaning); discriminate.
  4. to play (a melody) by ear; work out note by note.
  5. to extract by picking.
34.
pick over, to examine (an assortment of items) in order to make a selection:
Eager shoppers were picking over the shirts on the bargain tables.
35.
pick up,
  1. to lift or take up:
    to pick up a stone.
  2. to collect, especially in an orderly manner:
    Pick up the tools when you're finished.
  3. to recover (one's courage, health, etc.); regain.
  4. to gain by occasional opportunity; obtain casually:
    to pick up a livelihood.
  5. to learn, as by experience:
    I've picked up a few Japanese phrases.
  6. to claim:
    to pick up one's bags at an airport.
  7. to take (a person or thing) into a car or ship, etc., or along with one.
  8. to bring into range of reception, observation, etc.:
    to pick up Rome on one's radio.
  9. to accelerate; gain (speed).
  10. to put in good order; tidy:
    to pick up a room.
  11. to make progress; improve:
    Business is beginning to pick up.
  12. to catch or contract, as a disease.
  13. Informal. to become acquainted with informally or casually, often in hope of a sexual relationship:
    Let's pick up some dates tonight.
  14. to resume or continue after being left off:
    Let's pick up the discussion in our next meeting.
  15. Informal. to take into custody; arrest:
    They picked him up for vagrancy.
  16. Informal. to obtain; find; purchase:
    She picked up some nice shoes on sale.
  17. Slang. to steal:
    to pick up jewels and silver.
  18. to accept, as in order to pay:
    to pick up the check.
36.
pick up on, Informal.
  1. become aware or cognizant of; be perceptive about; notice:
    to pick up on the hostess's hostility.
  2. to pay special attention to; keep an eye on:
    to pick up on a troubled student.
Idioms
37.
pick and choose, to be very careful or particular in choosing:
With such a limited supply of fresh fruit, you won't be able to pick and choose.
38.
pick apart, to criticize severely or in great detail:
They picked her apart the moment she left the room.
39.
pick it up, Informal. to move, work, etc., at a faster rate.
40.
pick one's way / steps, to walk with care and deliberation:
She picked her way across the muddy field.
41.
pick someone's brains. brain (def 12).
Origin
1250-1300; v. Middle English pyken, pikken, pekken, cognate with Dutch pikken, German picken, Old Norse pikka to pick; akin to peck2, pike5; (noun) derivative of the v.
Related forms
pickable, adjective
unpickable, adjective
Synonyms
4. rob, pilfer. 12. reap, collect.
Synonym Study
1. See choose.
Examples from the web for pick up
  • He was allowed one phone call, and asked his relatives to come and pick up the dog.
  • He had three golden apples, which he dropped one by one, and which the lady stopped to pick up.
  • The papers were quick to pick up the remark, and it stayed with him the rest of his life.
  • When religions flourish side by side they tend to pick up each other's ceremonial and other outward peculiarities.
  • He will choose a field somewhere near a wayside station, where he can pick up the train.
  • We're not going to pick up any rubbish that drifts in.
  • For this purpose he goes to the middle of the plot of ground, stoops down, and pretends to pick up a letter.
  • The question now is whether, if public spending on construction falls, the private sector will pick up the slack.
  • The information they pick up is relayed to a satellite.
  • The new plan looks set to pick up where the previous one left off.
British Dictionary definitions for pick up

pick-up

noun
1.
Also called pick-up arm, tone arm. the light balanced arm of a record player that carries the wires from the cartridge to the preamplifier
2.
an electromagnetic transducer that converts the vibrations of the steel strings of an electric guitar or other amplified instrument into electric signals
3.
another name for cartridge (sense 3)
4.
Also called pick-up truck. a small truck with an open body and low sides, used for light deliveries
5.
(informal, mainly US) an ability to accelerate rapidly: this car has good pick-up
6.
(informal) a casual acquaintance, usually one made with sexual intentions
7.
(informal)
  1. a stop to collect passengers, goods, etc
  2. the people or things collected
8.
(slang) a free ride in a motor vehicle
9.
(informal) an improvement
10.
(slang) a pick-me-up
adjective
11.
(US & Canadian) organized, arranged, or assembled hastily and without planning: a pick-up band, pick-up games
verb (adverb)
12.
(transitive) to gather up in the hand or hands
13.
(transitive) to acquire, obtain, or purchase casually, incidentally, etc
14.
(transitive) to catch (a disease): she picked up a bad cold during the weekend
15.
(intransitive) to improve in health, condition, activity, etc: the market began to pick up
16.
(reflexive) to raise (oneself) after a fall or setback
17.
(transitive) to notice or sense: she picked up a change in his attitude
18.
to resume where one left off; return to: we'll pick up after lunch, they picked up the discussion
19.
(transitive) to learn gradually or as one goes along
20.
(transitive) to take responsibility for paying (a bill): he picked up the bill for dinner
21.
(transitive) (informal) to reprimand: he picked her up on her table manners
22.
(transitive) to collect or give a lift to (passengers, hitchhikers, goods, etc)
23.
(transitive) (informal) to become acquainted with, esp with a view to having sexual relations
24.
(transitive) (informal) to arrest
25.
to increase (speed): the cars picked up down the straight
26.
(transitive) to receive (electrical signals, a radio signal, sounds, etc), as for transmission or amplification
27.
pick up the pieces, to restore a situation to normality after a crisis or collapse

pick1

/pɪk/
verb
1.
to choose (something) deliberately or carefully, from or as if from a group or number; select
2.
to pluck or gather (fruit, berries, or crops) from (a tree, bush, field, etc): to pick hops, to pick a whole bush
3.
(transitive) to clean or prepare (fruit, poultry, etc) by removing the indigestible parts
4.
(transitive) to remove loose particles from (the teeth, the nose, etc)
5.
(esp of birds) to nibble or gather (corn, etc)
6.
when intr, foll by at. to nibble (at) fussily or without appetite
7.
to separate (strands, fibres, etc), as in weaving
8.
(transitive) to provoke (an argument, fight, etc) deliberately
9.
(transitive) to steal (money or valuables) from (a person's pocket)
10.
(transitive) to open (a lock) with an instrument other than a key
11.
to pluck the strings of (a guitar, banjo, etc)
12.
(transitive) to make (one's way) carefully on foot: they picked their way through the rubble
13.
pick and choose, to select fastidiously, fussily, etc
14.
pick someone's brains, to obtain information or ideas from someone
noun
15.
freedom or right of selection (esp in the phrase take one's pick)
16.
a person, thing, etc, that is chosen first or preferred: the pick of the bunch
17.
the act of picking
18.
the amount of a crop picked at one period or from one area
19.
(printing) a speck of dirt or paper fibre or a blob of ink on the surface of set type or a printing plate
See also pick at, pick off, pick on, pick out, pick-up
Derived Forms
pickable, adjective
Word Origin
C15: from earlier piken to pick, influenced by French piquer to pierce; compare Middle Low German picken, Dutch pikken

pick2

/pɪk/
noun
1.
a tool with a handle carrying a long steel head curved and tapering to a point at one or both ends, used for loosening soil, breaking rocks, etc
2.
any of various tools used for picking, such as an ice pick or toothpick
3.
a plectrum
verb
4.
(transitive) to pierce, dig, or break up (a hard surface) with a pick
5.
(transitive) to form (a hole) in this way
Word Origin
C14: perhaps variant of pike²

pick3

/in weaving pɪk/
verb
1.
(transitive) to cast (a shuttle)
noun
2.
one casting of a shuttle
3.
a weft or filling thread
Word Origin
C14: variant of pitch1
Word Origin and History for pick up
v.

early 14c. as a verbal phrase, "lift and take," from pick (v.) + up (adv.). Of persons, "make acquaintance or take along," especially for sexual purposes, 1690s. Meaning "cause (someone) to revive" is from 1857. Sense of "tidy up" is from 1861; that of "arrest" is from 1871; meaning "gain speed" is from 1922; meaning "to pay" (a check, tab, etc.) is from 1945. Pick-me-up "stimulating alcoholic drink" is attested from 1867.

pick

v.

early 13c., picken "to peck;" c.1300, piken "to work with a pick," probably representing a fusion of Old English *pician "to prick," (implied by picung "a piercing, pricking," an 8c. gloss on Latin stigmata) with Old Norse pikka "to prick, peck," from a common Germanic root (cf. Middle Dutch picken, German picken "to pick, peck"), perhaps imitative. Influence from Middle French piquer "to prick, sting" (see pike (n.2)) also is possible, but that French word generally is not considered a source of the English word. Related: Picked; picking.

Meaning "to eat with small bites" is from 1580s. The meaning "to choose, select, pick out" emerged late 14c., from earlier meaning "to pluck with the fingers" (early 14c.). Sense of "to rob, plunder" (c.1300) weakened to a milder sense of "steal petty things" by late 14c. Of forcing locks with a pointed tool, by 1540s. Meaning "to pluck (a banjo)" is recorded from 1860. To pick a quarrel, etc. is from mid-15c.; to pick at "find fault with" is from 1670s. Pick on "single out for adverse attention" is from late 14c.; pick off "shoot one by one" is recorded from 1810; baseball sense of "to put out a runner on base" is from 1939. Also cf. pick up. To pick and choose "select carefully" is from 1660s (choose and pick is attested from c.1400).

n.

c.1200, "pointed tool for breaking up rock or ground," variant of pike (n.4). Meaning "sharp tool" is from mid-14c.

mid-15c., "a blow with a pointed instrument," from pick (v.). Meaning "plectrum for a guitar, lute, etc." is from 1895; as a type of basketball block, from 1951; meaning "choicest part or example" is first recorded 1760.

Slang definitions & phrases for pick up

pick up

verb phrase
  1. To get; acquire: He picked up a few thou hustling (1608+)
  2. To make things clean and neat; tidy up: You'd better pick up in your room. It's a godawful mess (1874+)
  3. To answer the telephone (1970s+)

pick

Related Terms

nitpick


Idioms and Phrases with pick up

pick up

.
Lift, take up by hand, as in Please pick up that book from the floor. [ Early 1300s ]
.
Collect or gather, as in First they had to pick up the pieces of broken glass.
.
Tidy, put in order, as in Let's pick up the bedroom, or I'm always picking up after Pat. [ Mid-1800s ]
.
Take on passengers or freight, as in The bus picks up commuters at three stops.
.
Acquire casually, get without great effort or by accident. For example, I picked up a nice coat at the sale, or She had no trouble picking up French. This usage is even extended to contracting diseases, as in I think I picked up the baby's cold. [ Early 1500s ]
.
Claim, as in He picked up his laundry every Friday.
.
Buy, as in Please pick up some wine at the store on your way home.
.
pick up the bill or check or tab. Accept a charge in order to pay it, as in They always wait for us to pick up the tab. [ ; mid-1900s ]
.
Increase speed or rate, as in The plane picked up speed, or The conductor told the strings to pick up the tempo.
.
Gain, as in They picked up five yards on that pass play.
.
Take into custody, apprehend, as in The police picked him up for burglary. [ ; second half of 1800s ]
.
Make a casual acquaintance with, especially in anticipation of sexual relations, as in A stranger tried to pick her up at the bus station. [ ; late 1800s ]
.
Come upon, find, detect, as in The dog picked up the scent, or They picked up two submarines on sonar, or I can't pick up that station on the car radio.
.
Resume, as in Let's pick up the conversation after lunch.
.
Improve or cause to improve in condition or activity, as in Sales picked up last fall, or He picked up quickly after he got home from the hospital, or A cup of coffee will pick you up. [ 1700s ]
.
Gather one's belongings, as in She just picked up and left him.
.
pick oneself up. Recover from a fall or other mishap, as in Jim picked himself up and stood there waiting. [ Mid-1800s ]
Also see the subsequent entries beginning with pick up.

pick

also see: