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 actor decorated the residence herself, tackling one room at a time and carefully selecting everything from the furnishings to the fabrics.—
Michelle Duncan,
Architectural Digest,
12 June 2026
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Then came the work; visiting distilleries, playing with mash bills, tasting endlessly and hand-selecting the whiskeys that would eventually go into their blends.—
Lela London,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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In her acceptance speech, Swift said choosing to be a songwriter was easy, then fought back tears while thanking her family.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
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How does choosing Gwen Graham help push Florida and Democrats into the future?—
Sofia Baltodano,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Is that enough to force Roberts into the uncomfortable position of picking one of his aces over another, like a father picking one of his sons over another?—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Another logistic that should be considered ahead of time is picking the route.—
Judy Koutsky,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cherry-picking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cherry-picking. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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