pick over

verb

picked over; picking over; picks over

transitive verb

: to examine in order to select the best or remove the unwanted

Examples of pick over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web China’s unprecedented economic and social transformation in the latter part of the 20th century has been picked over in dozens of movies by filmmakers ranging from Jia Zhangke to Wang Xiaoshuai. Patrick Frater, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 It was reported that the Raptors were very interested in the Pacers' lottery picks over the last two seasons, Mathurin and forward Jarace Walker. Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Jan. 2024 Most of the team’s late-round draft picks over the last three years are no longer with the team. Steve Reed, The Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2024 To use fresh cranberries, rinse them in a strainer, then pick over and discard any that are very soft or mushy. Kathleen Purvis, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 The winter sales that kicked off in December are hitting peak season, abundant with deals that are ripe for the plucking — and soon to be picked over. Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 13 Jan. 2024 And as the Joker, Mark Hamill (ultimately picked over Tim Curry, who also auditioned) brought some Amadeus energy — and, of course, that laugh — into his flamboyant psychopathy. Jack Butler, National Review, 30 Dec. 2023 This mini model from Cosori was the top compact air fryer pick over at Epicurious. Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 27 Nov. 2023 The other two nominees: The Zone of Interest (Mica Levi) and The Boy and the Heron (Joe Hisaishi), picked over formidable competition including Barbie (Ronson and Andrew Wyatt), Elemental (Thomas Newman) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (John Williams). Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pick over.' 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

1732, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pick over was in 1732

Dictionary Entries Near pick over

Cite this Entry

“Pick over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick%20over. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pick over

verb
: to examine in order to select the best or remove the unwanted

More from Merriam-Webster on pick over

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