handpicking

verb

present participle of handpick
as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities handpicked what she considered to be the cutest kitten from the litter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for handpicking
  1. selecting
  2. choosing
  3. picking
Verb
  • After carefully selecting specimens with reliable dates and locations, the team extracted DNA using techniques designed for highly degraded historical samples.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The latter curated the event, hand-selecting performers and often songs, also playing keyboards throughout the night.
    — Katherine Turman, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of selecting
Verb
  • In fact, Myers Park Covenant’s interim senior minister, Tim Moore, believes that more newcomers to Charlotte than ever — especially younger ones — aren’t choosing churches based on denomination.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Upstate New York has no shortage of escape routes—charming inns, boutique hotels, and endless Airbnb gems—and choosing one is always the hardest part.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of choosing
Verb
  • Antioch Full Gospel Baptist Church members who are facing off in court over control of the College Station congregation will meet Monday to determine the process for picking who gets to preach.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Austria has entered the 2027 Oscar race, picking the Sandra Hüller period drama Rose to represent the country in the best international feature category.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of picking
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.

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handpicking
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Cite this Entry

“Handpicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handpicking. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on handpicking

Nglish: Translation of handpicking for Spanish Speakers

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