cherry-pick

verb

cher·​ry-pick ˈcher-ē-ˌpik 

cherry-picked; cherry-picking; cherry-picks

intransitive verb

: to select the best or most desirable

transitive verb

: to select as being the best or most desirable

also : to select the best or most desirable from

cherry-picked the art collection

Synonyms

• choose
• cull
• elect
• handpick
• name
• opt (for)
• pick
• prefer
• select
• single (out)
• tag
• take

Examples of cherry-pick in a Sentence

cherry-picked the spacious corner office for his corporate fief

Recent Examples on the Web

Even the politicians who attended the rallies cherry-picked which parts to respond to. —Em Readman, refinery29.com, 7 May 2024

Boston even cherry-picked some strategy from the Warriors. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 18 June 2024

Ruth Holton-Hudson mischaracterizes the Exxon lawsuits, cherry-picks the stock data and blames the fossil fuel companies for climate change. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 9 May 2024

Informing citizens is a laudable, apolitical act; trying to shape their views by cherry-picking intelligence is not. —David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense