pick-six
noun
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
Bill Finley2
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
S. L. Price
Examples of pick-six in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tampa Bay picked off league MVP Rich Gannon five times, three of those swipes of the pick-six variety.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
After losing the starting job to Ethan Garbers before the season, then winning it after one game, then losing it again amid three consecutive games with a pick-six, Moore ended the season as Garbers’ backup.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Purdy’s second pass, intended for Aiyuk, went directly to Savage, who had a 64-yard pick-six in the previous week’s win over Dallas.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024
Mahomes, 28, threw a costly pick-six in the first quarter and finished the game with 27 completions, 235 yards passing and one passing touchdown.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 25 Dec. 2023
Branch dashed 50 yards down the left sideline for a pick-six touchdown: 14-14.
—Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023
He was replaced as the starter by Ethan Garbers after a string of three consecutive games with a pick-six.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Safety Joshua Hong returned an interception 29 yards for a pick-six.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2023
Moore’s three consecutive games with a pick-six — albeit against much stronger defenses — momentarily left the Bruins with a deflated feeling to go with a losing record in conference play.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2023
Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
After losing the starting job to Ethan Garbers before the season, then winning it after one game, then losing it again amid three consecutive games with a pick-six, Moore ended the season as Garbers’ backup.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Purdy’s second pass, intended for Aiyuk, went directly to Savage, who had a 64-yard pick-six in the previous week’s win over Dallas.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024
Mahomes, 28, threw a costly pick-six in the first quarter and finished the game with 27 completions, 235 yards passing and one passing touchdown.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 25 Dec. 2023
Branch dashed 50 yards down the left sideline for a pick-six touchdown: 14-14.
—Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023
He was replaced as the starter by Ethan Garbers after a string of three consecutive games with a pick-six.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Safety Joshua Hong returned an interception 29 yards for a pick-six.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2023
Moore’s three consecutive games with a pick-six — albeit against much stronger defenses — momentarily left the Bruins with a deflated feeling to go with a losing record in conference play.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pick-six.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near pick-six
Cite this Entry
“Pick-six.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick-six. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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