pick out

verb

picked out; picking out; picks out

transitive verb

1

: discern, make out

2

: to play the notes of by ear or one by one

picking out tunes on the piano

Examples of pick out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fields, 22, a third-round pick out of Notre Dame, hauled in two deep passes from Dart in one-on-one drills against the Dolphins’ corners to start practice. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026

Moss’ strong camp is coming at the start of a contract year for the 2023 third-round pick out of Iowa. — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Drew Allar impresses in preseason debut against Packers The Steelers' third-round pick out of Penn State this past year went 10 for 13 for 154 yards and three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers. — Patrick Damp, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Earlier this month, the Hamilton star, 44, and the pregnant Umbrella Academy actress, 37, dropped by the Babylist showroom in Los Angeles and were able to pick out a few items for their baby-to-be. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pick out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

pick out

verb

1

: to see or detect with some difficulty

picked out the trail in the snow

2

: to play the notes of by ear or one by one

pick out a tune