pick

1 of 5

verb (1)

picked; picking; picks

transitive verb

1
: to pierce, penetrate, or break up with a pointed instrument
picked the hard clay
2
a
: to remove bit by bit
pick meat from bones
b
: to remove covering or adhering matter from
pick the bones
3
a
: to gather by plucking
pick apples
b
: choose, select
tried to pick the shortest route
c
: to make (one's way) slowly and carefully
picked his way through the rubble
4
a
: pilfer, rob
pick pockets
b
: to obtain useful information from by questioning
used in such phrases as pick the brains of
5
: provoke
pick a quarrel
6
a
: to dig into : probe
picking his teeth
b
: to pluck (a stringed instrument, such as a guitar) with a pick or with the fingers
c
: to loosen or pull apart with a sharp point
pick wool
7
: to unlock with a device (such as a wire) other than the key
pick a lock

intransitive verb

1
: to use or work with a pick
2
: to gather or harvest something by plucking
3
: pilfer
used in the phrase picking and stealing
4
: to eat sparingly or mincingly
picking listlessly at his dinner

pick

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a blow or stroke with a pointed instrument
2
a
: the act or privilege of choosing or selecting : choice
take your pick
b
: the best or choicest one
the pick of the herd
c
: one that is picked
his pick for vice president
3
: the portion of a crop gathered at one time
the first pick of peaches
4
: a screen in basketball
5
football : an intercepted forward pass : interception
… McNabb had his worst game of the year. He threw two picks, fumbled twice, got sacked seven times.Paul Zimmerman

pick

3 of 5

noun (2)

1
: a heavy, usually long-handled iron or steel tool pointed at one or both ends compare mattock
2
a
b
c
: a small thin piece (as of plastic or metal) used to pluck the strings of a stringed instrument
3
: one of the points on the forepart of the blade of a skate used in figure skating
4
: a comb with long widely spaced teeth used to give height to a hairstyle

Illustration of pick

Illustration of pick
  • pick 2c

pick

4 of 5

verb (2)

picked; picking; picks

transitive verb

1
chiefly dialectal : to throw or thrust with effort : hurl
2
: to throw (a shuttle) across the loom

pick

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
dialectal, England
a
: the act of pitching or throwing
b
: something thrown
2
a
: a throw of the shuttle
b
: a filling thread
Phrases
pick and choose
: to select with care and deliberation
pick at
: to criticize repeatedly especially for minor faults : nag
pick on
: to single out for criticism, teasing, or bullying
picked on smaller boys
also : to single out for a particular purpose or for special attention

Examples of pick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Ticket prices to watch the Indiana Fever – the team eyeing Clark for its No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft – have more than doubled. Alex Leeds Matthews and Ben Morse, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 The Angels hope former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak will have a breakout season. Staff and Wire Reports, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2024 Scouting Orlando Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, is averaging 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024 Of all the fan-favorite breweries to grab a drink, three in North Carolina made the list with The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery & Biergarten coming in as the No. 1 pick. Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2024 Another factor: The Lakers might use the pick in a draft-night trade in another round of star chasing for the final stages of LeBron James’ career. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Editor’s picks Recently, however, the pendulum has swung slightly, with many female influencers promoting the diet. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Darnold beat out Trey Lance for the No. 2 job during training camp, and Allen settled into the No. 3 role once Lance got traded to Dallas for a fourth-round pick. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Outside linebackers Byron Young, like Walker a third-round pick, emerged as a force with eight sacks. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
The Chiefs have pick No. 252 overall in the seventh round. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024 Let the child know if a different family member will pick them up from school, or if a relative will stay with them at night should the adult need to go to the hospital. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024 The rest of the group picked at their food in silence. Christina Knight, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024 Place your order on your ride to the airport and pick it up on your way to the gate without breaking stride. 15. Eric Rosen, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024 Bar patrons can pick from Whinny’s exclusive menu, their orders sent downstairs to Bricks and Horses, the hotel’s restaurant. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 Enrollment, facilities condition could define schools’ future On Wednesday, Zoie Saunders, the district’s chief strategy and innovation officer, said Licata’s team wants to use two main criteria to pick which schools to impact: the schools’ enrollment levels and the facilities’ conditions. Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024 Players can pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers: five different numbers from the white balls numbered 1-70 and one number from the gold balls numbered 1-25. 5 + 1 = Jackpot. 5 + 0 = $1 million. 4 + 1 = $10,000. 4 + 0 = $500. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024 The biggest issue was picking the right spots to beef up further, doubling his performance in key spots to make the lead voice thicker, and adding vocal delays that made the words echo in spaces and fill the track out more. Tom Roland, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English piken, partly from Old English *pīcian (akin to Middle Dutch picken to prick); partly from Middle French piquer to prick — more at pike

Noun (2)

Middle English pik

Verb (2)

Middle English pykken to pitch (a tent); akin to Middle English picchen to pitch

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of pick was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pick

Cite this Entry

“Pick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pick

1 of 3 verb
1
: to strike, pierce, or break up with a pointed tool
2
a
: to remove matter from bit by bit by or as if by plucking
picked the bone clean
b
: to gather by plucking
pick berries
c
: to pluck with a pick or with the fingers
pick a guitar
3
a
: select entry 1, choose
pick out a dress
b
: to make (one's way) slowly and carefully
picked their way through the rubble
4
: to steal or pilfer from
pick pockets
5
: to start (a fight) with someone else deliberately
6
: to dig at or into : probe
picking his teeth
7
: to eat sparingly or in a finicky manner
picked at her dinner
8
: to unlock without a key
pick a lock
picker noun

pick

2 of 3 noun
1
: a blow or stroke with a pointed instrument
2
a
: the act or opportunity of choosing : choice
take your pick
b
: the best or choicest one or portion
took only the pick of the crop
c
: one that is picked
his pick for vice president

pick

3 of 3 noun
1
: a heavy tool with a wooden handle and a blade pointed at one or both ends used especially to loosen or break up soil or rock
2
: a slender pointed instrument
ice pick
3
: a small thin piece of metal or plastic used to pluck a stringed instrument
4
: a comb with long widely spaced teeth used in grooming hair
Etymology

Verb

Middle English piken "to pierce, pick," from Old English pīcian (same meaning) and from early French piquer "to prick" — related to pike entry 3

Noun

Middle English pik "a pick for digging"

More from Merriam-Webster on pick

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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