as in selecting
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-picking
Families spent Mother's Day filling buckets and making memories at Dell'Osso Farms in Lathrop, where crowds gathered Sunday for cherry-picking season in the heart of California's top cherry-producing county.
—
Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 11 May 2026
Cha chaan tengs grew in popularity, cherry-picking elements from all three restaurants to create a new type of cuisine.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026
But most of this research is co-authored by Sikiric, who holds several patents related to BPC-157, and some experts have accused him of cherry-picking evidence.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
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
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
Following Democrats’ release, Republicans accused Democrats of cherry-picking the emails, later releasing a tranche of 20,000 pages of documents both sides received from the Epstein estate last week.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 13 Nov. 2025
More than 85 scientists denounced the report, accusing officials of cherry-picking facts and figures to allow for the administration’s fossil fuel ambitions.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Sisters Mackinley and Taylor Hill are taking inspiration from their own lives and cherry-picking a collection of juicy new jewelry for their debut line, Stone Fruit.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 11 May 2026
Cha chaan tengs grew in popularity, cherry-picking elements from all three restaurants to create a new type of cuisine.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026
But most of this research is co-authored by Sikiric, who holds several patents related to BPC-157, and some experts have accused him of cherry-picking evidence.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
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
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
Following Democrats’ release, Republicans accused Democrats of cherry-picking the emails, later releasing a tranche of 20,000 pages of documents both sides received from the Epstein estate last week.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 13 Nov. 2025
More than 85 scientists denounced the report, accusing officials of cherry-picking facts and figures to allow for the administration’s fossil fuel ambitions.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Sisters Mackinley and Taylor Hill are taking inspiration from their own lives and cherry-picking a collection of juicy new jewelry for their debut line, Stone Fruit.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cherry-picking
Verb
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The label will also guide you in selecting the correct washing cycle, water temperature, and best drying choices.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
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District leaders make up the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s obscure but powerful governing body that largely controls selecting judges, party priorities, and spending.—
Adam Davis,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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How to handle it safely For dogs that only graze occasionally, the main precaution should be choosing safe locations.—
Diana Bocco,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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By choosing investment banking, an industry almost entirely based in Manhattan, students were expressing a predilection for its unique lifestyle and consumption options.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
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This is as important, and as boring, in theory, as picking a fund for your 401(k), yet, improbably, the draft has become one of the largest events on the sporting calendar.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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So picking the right actors was very important for me.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cherry-picking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cherry-picking. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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