pickup

noun

pick·up | \ ˈpik-ˌəp

Definition of pickup

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : one that is picked up: such as

a : a hitchhiker who is given a ride

b : a temporary chance acquaintance

c : a player acquired from another team

2 : the act or process of picking up: such as

a : a revival of business activity

b : acceleration

c : the act or technique of making the acquaintance of a previously unknown person especially for amorous purposes

3 : the conversion of mechanical movements into electrical impulses in the reproduction of sound also : a device (as on an electric guitar) for making such conversion

4a : the reception of sound or an image into a radio or television transmitting apparatus for conversion into electrical signals

b : a device (such as a microphone or a television camera) for converting sound or the image of a scene into electrical signals

5 : a light truck having an enclosed cab and an open body with low sides and tailgate

— called also pickup truck

6 : a pickup game playing pickup

pickup

adjective

Definition of pickup (Entry 2 of 3)

: utilizing or comprising local or available personnel especially without formal organization a pickup basketball game a pickup band

pick up

verb

picked up; picking up; picks up

Definition of pick up (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to take hold of and lift up

b : to gather together : collect picked up all the pieces

c : to clean up : tidy

2 : to take (passengers or freight) into a vehicle

3a : to acquire casually or by chance picked up a valuable antique at an auction

b : to acquire by study or experience : learn picking up a great deal of knowledge in the process— Robert Schleicher

c : to obtain especially by payment : buy picked up some groceries

d : to acquire (a player) especially from another team through a trade or by financial recompense

e : to accept for the purpose of paying offered to pick up the tab

f : to come down with : catch picked up a cold

g : gain, earn picked up a few yards on the last play picked up her first victory

4a : to enter informally into conversation or companionship with (a previously unknown person) had a brief affair with a girl he picked up in a bar

b : to take into custody the police picked up the fugitive

5a : to catch sight of : perceive picked up the harbor lights

b : to come to and follow picked up the outlaw's trail

c : to bring within range of sight or hearing pick up distant radio signals

d : understand, catch didn't pick up the hint

6a : revive

b : increase

7 : to resume after a break : continue pick up the discussion tomorrow

8 : to assume responsibility for guarding (an opponent) in an athletic contest

9 : to provide needed support or assistance to (someone who has faltered or failed, such as a teammate who has made an error) in a collaborative effort … Burns allowed only five hits and did not issue a walk. She also picked up her teammates after several fielding errors.— John Knebels We have faith. We don't panic. Even in all these one-run ballgames, we have trust in each other that we're going to pull it out. We pick each other up. On days we're not pitching it great, our offense gets going and vice versa.— Marco Gonzales

intransitive verb

1 : to recover or increase speed, vigor, or activity : improve after the strike, business picked up the wind began to pick up

2 : to put things in order was always picking up after her

3 : to pack up one's belongings couldn't just pick up and leave

pick up on

1a : understand, appreciate

b : to become aware of : notice

2 : to adopt as one's own : take up

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about pickup

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Synonyms & Antonyms for pickup

Synonyms: Verb

get, learn, master

Antonyms: Verb

unlearn

Examples of pickup in a Sentence

Noun

The fee pays for garbage pickup. The school bus was late for its afternoon pickup. The truck is scheduled to make a pickup today.

Adjective

He plays with pickup bands at nightclubs. What's the pickup scene like in this city?

Verb

he has a knack for picking up a language in a few weeks pick up all of your things because we have to be off this beach before dark

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In the school pickup lane, on my morning run, sitting in a Lyft—I’d close my eyes and imagine kissing a man on that spot where the jaw meets the neck, feeling the bristle of hair against my lips. — Lyz Lenz, Glamour, "I Wanted to Fall in Love With Men. I Also Wanted Men to Leave Me the Hell Alone," 15 Apr. 2019 Police had been looking for a white man in his 30s or 40s driving a red pickup truck, but Black is a 20-year-old African-American man. — Christianna Silva, Teen Vogue, "Two Men Were Arrested in Connection With 7-Year-Old Jazmine Barnes's Killing," 7 Jan. 2019 His quickest pickup time was about five minutes, while one ride took close to 20 minutes. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "We finally talked to an actual Waymo passenger—here’s what he told us," 13 Dec. 2018 That qualifies Class 1 and Class 2 vehicles—minivans, pickup trucks, utility vans, and step vans will all be allowed onto the road. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Self-Driving Light Trucks Will Be Allowed on California Roads," 13 Apr. 2019 Drivers can also enjoy rewards such as faster airport pickups and free dent repair. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Uber will start rewarding high-performing drivers with better earnings and free college tuition," 1 Nov. 2018 The schools appreciate that Moses handles the ordering, payment, pickup and food distribution in the cafeteria. — Melissa Kossler Dutton, chicagotribune.com, "Food delivery services aim to take school lunch pressure off parents," 10 July 2018 The original hit-and-run involving the pickup and the mortuary van occurred on Massachusetts Avenue in Lemon Grove, authorities said. — Pauline Repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mortuary van with body chases hit-run pickup into downtown San Diego, where truck crashes," 6 July 2018 Levies on parts also would have major implications for top models like the Ford F-150 pickup and Toyota Camry sedan by boosting prices by thousands of dollars. — Christopher Condon, latimes.com, "BMW and Hyundai join GM in pressing U.S. to forgo auto tariffs," 1 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Waste Management will not provide garbage, recycling or compostables pickup Thursday for customers in all of King County and most of Snohomish. — Heidi Groover, The Seattle Times, "Risk of power outages in Puget Sound after Canadian pipeline explosion cuts off natural-gas supply," 10 Oct. 2018 Last year, pickup buyers paid more than $44,000 on average for a full-size model, 61% higher than a decade earlier, according to research firm J.D. Power. — Mike Colias, WSJ, "Prices of Pickup Trucks Charge Into Luxury-Car Territory," 11 Feb. 2019 Democrats are struggling for traction in a series of contests that should be prime pickup opportunities — on paper, at least. — Steve Peoples, Fox News, "Overconfident? Dem optimism surges as midterms approach," 22 Sep. 2018 In our Lab's test, this GH Seal star exhibited excellent pickup of oatmeal, baking soda, orzo pasta, and sand on our bare floor — and its pickup performance on carpet was also good. — Sarah Bogdan, Good Housekeeping, "The 5 Best Robot Vacuums, According to Cleaning Experts," 21 Nov. 2018 Officials did confirm that five vehicles were involved, including three pickup trucks. — Nathan J. Fish, azcentral, "Serious crash involving 5 vehicles shuts Phoenix intersection," 13 July 2018 Tesla's forthcoming electric pickup truck will have standard four-wheel-drive and a high-tech suspension that enables a smooth ride, CEO Elon Musk promised Tuesday. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Electric pickup truck will have 'crazy' features," 26 June 2018 Democrats have a solid pickup opportunity in Colorado, a Clinton state whose incumbent Republican Sen. Cory Gardner has done nothing to differentiate himself from Trump and the national party. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Democrats need some 2020 Senate candidates," 6 Dec. 2018 The acquisition of Spin is another sign that Ford doesn’t want to be seen as just a car (or pickup truck) company. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Ford adds electric scooter startup to its growing mobility collection," 8 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

On the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Clooney noted that the twins were picking up their mom's British accent. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "George Clooney Says He Won't Be Archie Harrison's Godfather," 9 May 2019 Orders for long-lasting factory goods rose in March at the fastest clip in seven months, surpassing expectations and suggesting demand picked up after a slow start to the year. — Sarah Chaney, WSJ, "U.S. Durable Orders Rose 2.7% in March, Faster Than Expected," 25 Apr. 2019 Has Euron picked up the Golden Company at Cersei Lannister's request? — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Game of Thrones Just Dropped Its Official Season 8 Trailer and There's So Much to Take In," 5 Mar. 2019 When Suits got picked up, her role as paralegal Rachel Zane helped vault Meghan's star status. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "20 Facts About Meghan Markle's Life Before She Met Prince Harry," 15 Apr. 2019 Bluemel joined Killing Eve just as the show was picking up steam in the States, but hadn't yet jumped across the pond. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Killing Eve's Edward Bluemel on Playing Hugo, MI6's Resident Annoying Rich Kid," 14 Apr. 2019 Locals can arrange a ride with Carmen to a neighboring town to, say, pick up a prescription in exchange for a small fee or gas money. — Melody Warnick, Woman's Day, "These Small-Town Heroes Are Helping Their Communities Thrive," 2 Apr. 2019 Joe went for a more traditional big-brother approach, sharing the specific moment Frankie took the stage to pick up his diploma. — Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, "Joe Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Celebrated Youngest Jonas Brother Frankie Jonas's Graduation," 1 Apr. 2019 Venus doesn't have the best time in Aries, because while romantic Venus wants to wear an extravagant outfit, Aries would rather just pick up clothes off the floor and call it a look. — Randon Rosenbohm, Allure, "What Your Sign's April Horoscope Predictions Mean for You," 31 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pickup.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.