pickup line
noun
US
: a prepared remark used by a person to start a conversation with a stranger they are interested in having a romantic relationship with
He tried using one of his clever pickup lines on her, but it didn't work.
Examples of pickup line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On April 7, in far northwest suburban West Dundee, police responded to a local elementary school after several residents called 911 about someone in all-black clothing approaching a vehicle in the after-school pickup line carrying what turned out to be a toy gun.
—
Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026
Throughout, Antonoff defines himself as not being the type of guy to rehash pickup lines, ask about his lover’s previous dudes, or tell her what to do.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
An elementary school in the Chicago suburbs went on a brief lockdown on April 7 after multiple 911 calls were made about a man carrying a gun in a car pickup line, which turned out to be a senior assassin player trying to eliminate a target.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m., as the driver was leaving the afternoon pickup line outside St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic School in Ankeny, Iowa, authorities said.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
With poor road conditions, driving to the school pickup line or waiting for the bus may be harder than anticipated as some schools begin making decisions for Wednesday, Jan. 28.
—Cheyenne Derksen, Oklahoman, 27 Jan. 2026
Since then the school has made several changes, according to the suit, including a fence separating the pickup line from a nearby lawn, a foot pathway for pedestrians, and a stop sign in front of the pathway, among other changes.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
That process of recreating the set took only about an hour, which gave Cameron the freedom for easy reshoots and pickup lines.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
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Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026
Throughout, Antonoff defines himself as not being the type of guy to rehash pickup lines, ask about his lover’s previous dudes, or tell her what to do.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
An elementary school in the Chicago suburbs went on a brief lockdown on April 7 after multiple 911 calls were made about a man carrying a gun in a car pickup line, which turned out to be a senior assassin player trying to eliminate a target.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m., as the driver was leaving the afternoon pickup line outside St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic School in Ankeny, Iowa, authorities said.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
With poor road conditions, driving to the school pickup line or waiting for the bus may be harder than anticipated as some schools begin making decisions for Wednesday, Jan. 28.
—Cheyenne Derksen, Oklahoman, 27 Jan. 2026
Since then the school has made several changes, according to the suit, including a fence separating the pickup line from a nearby lawn, a foot pathway for pedestrians, and a stop sign in front of the pathway, among other changes.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
That process of recreating the set took only about an hour, which gave Cameron the freedom for easy reshoots and pickup lines.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pickup line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pickup%20line. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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