pickle

noun

ˈpi-kəl How to pronounce pickle (audio)
Definition of picklenext
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape well, this is a bit of a pickle we've gotten ourselves into

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pickle Sitting directly above the Goatek is a healthy slab of ZoomX foam split into two densities and given a profile designed to look like an actual pickle. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 At the Minnesota State Fair, visitors can find pronto pups, pickle pizza and, every year, no shortage of politicians. — Esme Murphy, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Since then, raw egg yolks, pickle brine, cumin seeds, six-packs of Coke, and greasy breakfast sandwiches have all been credited with easing our post-drinking ailments. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 The kitchen makes its own terrines, pates and pickles, among other pantry staples, which shine in dishes like mussels in tomato-miso escabeche and burrata with pistachio pistou and fermented honey. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pickle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickle
  1. predicament
  2. dilemma
  3. hole
  4. bind
  5. swamp
  6. jam
Noun
  • On the screen, in a series of daredevil adventures, the actor had extricated himself from a hundred impossible predicaments.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • For Tinubu and his chief adversaries Atiku and Obi, then, Nigeria’s security predicament will require more than election season sloganeering.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of predicament
Noun
  • Before this dilemma can play out, Hal triggers an Indiana Jones–esque booby trap inside the compound’s stronghold, summoning Macon’s men with their advanced weaponry.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Democrats are happy to point out the dilemma facing their Republican opponents.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of dilemma
Noun
  • Graham birdied the last two holes to earn a precious halve against 17-year-old Miles Russell.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Cash transfers, fund swaps, delayed pension contributions and one-time revenues can make the budget look balanced while the ACFR still shows a hole.
    — Sheila Weinberg, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of hole
Noun
  • Feasting on neutrality Few illustrate the current bind better than Caitlin Clark.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Hightower high lord and his armies have occupied Tumbleton and have Rhaenyra in something of a bind.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of bind
Noun
  • Black rat snakes occupy an expansive range of habitats, from swamps and marshes to forests and fields.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Sep. 2026
  • If a group chat has become a swamp of half-answers and reaction icons, step in with a quick summary.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • But in reality, the carving occurs in fits and spurts, when floods carry huge boulders that gouge out streambeds and jam cobbles into the bedrock.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Everything is made in-house, from the syrups down to the jam.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of jam

Browse Nearby Words

picking up on
pickle
pickled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickle. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pickle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pickle

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