cherry-pick

verb

cher·​ry-pick ˈcher-ē-ˌpik How to pronounce cherry-pick (audio)
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

Examples of cherry-pick in a Sentence

cherry-picked the spacious corner office for his corporate fief
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Soliman’s legal team filed statements from all three balking at how DHS had cherry-picked their research. Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025 Now, many creators will cherry-pick the most concerning data — like an outlying model in a spaghetti chart — and share it, oftentimes completely out of context, in hopes of making money. Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025 The group of climate scientists found several examples where the DOE authors cherry-picked or misrepresented climate science in the agency's report. Julia Simon, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025 Huntsinger and her programmers cherry-pick titles from Sundance, Berlin, and especially Cannes. Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cherry-pick

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of cherry-pick was in 1965

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cherry-pick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cherry-pick. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!