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
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
Their style is to highlight 5% out of all the film’s reviews, cherry-picking the ones that that are negative.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
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
Their style is to highlight 5% out of all the film’s reviews, cherry-picking the ones that that are negative.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cherry-picking
Verb
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Simply depositing money into the account without selecting investments means your contributions may sit as cash, earning little.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
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Every year, millions of Americans fill out March Madness brackets for the annual men's and women's college basketball tournaments, hoping to fulfill their unrealized dreams of selecting a perfect bracket.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As your visibility grows, so does the importance of choosing your associations wisely.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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Restaurant industry publications have been noting for the past few years that consumers are choosing healthier options at higher prices.—
Jenna Thompson
March 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 6-foot-1 guard followed up his 36-point night against the Hawks by picking the Hornets apart with paint jumpers, going 8-for-10 in the paint with just one shot inside the restricted area.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
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Even if the Broncos trust Dobbins to become durable, picking his successor is logical.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cherry-picking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cherry-picking. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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