pick-six

noun

ˈpik-ˈsiks 

1

: a system of betting (as on horse races) in which the bettor must pick the winners of six consecutive races

… is one of 42 individuals holding the 78 tickets that legitimately had five out of six winners in the Breeders' Cup pick-six wager.

—Bill Finley

2

American football : an interception returned by the intercepting team for a touchdown

By halftime he had thrown two interceptions—the second a 69-yard pick-six to outside linebacker and Most Valuable Player Malcolm Smith …

—S. L. Price

Examples of pick-six in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scott, whose pick-six against Ohio State helped edge out the Hurricanes over the Buckeyes, starred at nickel cornerback in 2025. —Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026

Jones picked it out of the air and brought it back 26 yards for a pick-six touchdown. —Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 18 Jan. 2026

Indiana has 18 interceptions this season, including D’Angelo Ponds‘ game-opening pick-six against Oregon. —Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026

Jim Kelly threw two interceptions, but John Elway was done in by a pick-six from Carlton Bailey. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1