1
as in to master
to acquire complete knowledge, understanding, or skill in
he has a knack for picking up a language in a few weeks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to collect
to bring together in one body or place
pick up all of your things because we have to be off this beach before dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to buy
to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for
could you pick up some milk at the store?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to gain
to gradually increase in
the boat was just picking up speed when it was rammed by another boat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to lift
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
pick up your feet while I vacuum in front of the sofa
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to arrest
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law
police picked up the fugitive when she went out to buy food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to clean house
to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff
I thought you said you had picked up, so why are these things still lying around the rec room?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in to resume
to begin again or return to after an interruption
after the protestors were removed from the auditorium, the speaker picked up his lecture right where he had left off
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in to trim
to make neat
the boy's bedroom looked like it hadn't been picked up in quite a while
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of pickup
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, in fact, did well to sign Wentz — idle after not being picked up by anyone after last season — the week after training camp came to a close.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
The teal team did pick up a signature win the previous Monday night, topping the incumbent AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs behind Lawrence’s slip-and-score touchdown scramble.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The redshirt sophomore has great size for the QB position, a live arm and the mobility to pick up chunks of yardage on the ground (284 rushing yards in 2025).
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickup
Noun
Johnny picked up the business of pollo a la brasa from his own father, Yuen Jam Tan, who brought his family from Hong Kong to Peru in the nineteen-sixties, learned the art of the rotisserie, and then, in the seventies, brought it to Queens.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, in fact, did well to sign Wentz — idle after not being picked up by anyone after last season — the week after training camp came to a close.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
The teal team did pick up a signature win the previous Monday night, topping the incumbent AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs behind Lawrence’s slip-and-score touchdown scramble.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The redshirt sophomore has great size for the QB position, a live arm and the mobility to pick up chunks of yardage on the ground (284 rushing yards in 2025).
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickup
Verb
-
During a trip to Mallon Farm with Prince William, the Princess of Wales mastered fall style with a black turtleneck, a cardigan, and a utility jacket.—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Altogether, the ensemble was similar to countryside ‘fits worn by her predecessors, Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth, who had mastered the art of sporty but still feminine dressing for the UK’s chillier climates.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hackman was not only a collector but an artist himself, and his approach to collecting mirrors the care, aesthetic sensibility, and discipline evident in his own artistic practice.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Other teams might act as if a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow, yet unlike money, draft picks do not collect interest.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile 17% of consumers said will buy inflatables, animatronics or other large lawn displays.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
-
But these adaptations can buy only so much time.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Over the last two decades of accelerating digital politics, commentators are constantly pausing to observe that one party seems to have gained a permanent edge.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Triumph Financial gained more than 2% in thin trading.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The research team also revealed that the robots can change their shape and gait to adapt to different terrains or to perform a variety of functions, such as gripping and lifting objects.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Two teaspoons of baking powder lift the dense cookie dough into puffy masterpieces.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bilodeau was arrested Tuesday and arraigned in a Nassau County court Wednesday morning.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
One particularly aggressive military style raid on an apartment building in south Chicago saw dozens arrested and children separated from their parents.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since the state resumed executions last year following an involuntary 13-year pause due to trouble obtaining lethal injection drugs, four inmates have selected lethal injection and two have died by firing squad.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The rapid proliferation and growth of spot ETFs like those for bitcoin and ether – as well as the potential for dozens more once regulatory operations resume at full capacity – also ties into another important change.—
Sean Stein Smith,
Forbes.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Royal Navy crew achieved the major milestone as part of HMS Agamemnon’s ‘trim dive’, a three-day period of testing in the town’s Devonshire Dock to prove the attack vessel’s stability and safety.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Brockman electrocuted while trimming trees On the day he was electrocuted, Brockman and his work crew were removing limbs that were close to Evergy power lines, the lawsuit said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickup. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share