as in to choose
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
cherry-picked the spacious corner office for his corporate fief
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Recent Examples of cherry-pick
The Justice Department has pushed back on the defense suggestion that Bondi continues to profit from Ballard’s ongoing representation of UnitedHealth Group and accused Mangione’s lawyers of creating such a misimpression by cherry-picking language from her public financial disclosure report.
—
Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Turning our back on data would remove any outside accountability, leave policymakers driving a car without map or road, and lead the country to a place where the titillation of conspiracy and cherry-picked numbers become the only barometer of what’s real.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Vartkessian renders them neither clinically nor sensationally—a fine line to walk—and cherry-picking details for this review feels grossly reductive, like a thumbnail sketch of a scene of desolation.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Cursor’s approach is to cherry-pick the best models available, supplement them with proprietary ones where necessary, and wrap it all into what Truell says is the best user interface for AI coding.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cherry-pick
Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Turning our back on data would remove any outside accountability, leave policymakers driving a car without map or road, and lead the country to a place where the titillation of conspiracy and cherry-picked numbers become the only barometer of what’s real.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Vartkessian renders them neither clinically nor sensationally—a fine line to walk—and cherry-picking details for this review feels grossly reductive, like a thumbnail sketch of a scene of desolation.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Cursor’s approach is to cherry-pick the best models available, supplement them with proprietary ones where necessary, and wrap it all into what Truell says is the best user interface for AI coding.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cherry-pick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cherry-pick
Verb
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My approach balances practicality with subtlety, choosing travel essentials that protect without advertising your valuables.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Drink coffee the Irish way Visit restaurants Holy Grail, Moerlein Lager House, Killer Queen, The Park and Jefferson Social and choose between a two-ounce tasting of a classic Irish coffee or a specialty Irish coffee.—
Caroline Ritzie,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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How to play the Powerball To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
7 Mar. 2026
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All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But someone had the idea that a congressional committee ought to pick some stuff to be locked up in the Centennial Safe before it was closed again, to be reopened at the Tricentennial, in 2076.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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At the show, the robot demonstrated fluid, human-like agility, picking itself up, navigating the stage smoothly, and moving its torso and head with natural precision.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cherry-pick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cherry-pick. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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