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
Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
With the strong onshore winds picking up as the storm begins tracking north, coastal flooding will also exacerbate any flooding that occurs from heavy rainfall.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2025
But the Chiefs didn’t pick up a first down on either one, collecting 15 yards worth of penalties on the second one to seal the loss.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2025
Shop like a star by picking up styles similar to those worn by Jennifer Garner, Emma Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Olivia Wilde.
—Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickup
Noun
Some readers just want to pick up bagels and whip up something satisfying and filling.
—Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
With the strong onshore winds picking up as the storm begins tracking north, coastal flooding will also exacerbate any flooding that occurs from heavy rainfall.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2025
But the Chiefs didn’t pick up a first down on either one, collecting 15 yards worth of penalties on the second one to seal the loss.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2025
Shop like a star by picking up styles similar to those worn by Jennifer Garner, Emma Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Olivia Wilde.
—Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickup
Verb
-
Not all of us have the time to master electrical wiring or the budget to hire a Taskrabbit.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
-
My protagonist feels similarly sheepish about her inability to master another language.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The friends then began attempting to collect more evidence and information and document the encounters through photography (thanks to a psychology professor lending him a camera) and journal entries.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The research team collected 138 needle samples from 23 spruce trees growing near the Kittilä gold mine in Northern Finland.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
He was thrilled when, at age 12, his parents bought a Baldwin grand piano secondhand from the University of Central Arkansas.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Oct. 2025
-
If viewers buy into this concept of a mobile academy, season 3 won't be far behind.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Whether the move is about Netflix’s push into ads, gaining a better foothold locally or retaining subscribers — or all three — is yet to be discovered.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Manning was sacked just once and the line paved the way for Quintrevion Wisner to gain 93 yards in the final three quarters after the running back netted just 1 in the first period.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fragrance opens with this bright, fizzy combination of raspberry, orange flower, and mandarin that immediately lifts your mood.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Eight, maybe nine years removed from swiping worms from the corner store and lifting loose change from cars in the mall parking lot.—
Allen Iverson,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Los Angeles — Nine months after a raging inferno decimated the Los Angeles area, claiming the lives of a dozen people and burning down thousands of homes and businesses, officials have arrested a suspect in Florida on suspicion of arson.—
Josh Campbell,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Boosie was arrested in May 2023 while visiting San Diego, where he was slated to shoot a music video and make a club appearance.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There is no news as to when visits to Haiti will resume.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Third, Netanyahu's insistence on resuming fighting in Gaza to achieve absolute victory was never practical, as the United States learned in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and Israel in the West Bank.—
Ehud Barak,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, costume designer Colleen Atwood trimmed the look into shorts to echo the iconic ensemble Garland sports in one of her most famous numbers.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Gray showed us how to trim the seaweed with scissors and harvest only a third, so the plant can regrow.—
Heather Richardson,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickup. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share