as in selected
singled out from a number or group as more to one's liking
a picked group of people for the project
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in harvested
to catch or collect (a crop or natural resource) for human use
pick peas and beans from the garden for dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chose
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
I pick you as my partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in provoked
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
he seems to be trying to pick a fight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in stabbed
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
continued to pick the block of ice until she was able to extract the shrimp
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 picked
Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
At the time, he was seen as a candidate to become CEO of AWS, but Amazon picked former executive Adam Selipsky to run the market-leading cloud.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
One tester picked this brand as their favorite bread and butter pickle for topping sandwiches specifically.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
What a potential base camp doesn’t want, but could never say it, is to be picked by an Iran, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Haiti or a tiny nation that is way down the FIFA rankings.
—Mac Engel
february 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026
Island Records picked her up a year later.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Barack Obama picked it up in 2009 and sat down for an interview with the host network every year.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
Lesson learned, to be applied in Dallas, ideally with a site picked within the next four months.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 2 Feb. 2026
Below, The Athletic picked 26 international athletes to watch (with a few liberties taken on the total number), spotlighting at least one top contender in every sport before competition begins Wednesday.
—Denny Alfonso, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Verb
The two have steadily rebuilt ties that had reached a low ebb in 2017 to 2020, when Ankara sided with Qatar in a regional dispute; the regional rift is now between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and Türkiye again appears to have picked a side.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
At the time, he was seen as a candidate to become CEO of AWS, but Amazon picked former executive Adam Selipsky to run the market-leading cloud.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
One tester picked this brand as their favorite bread and butter pickle for topping sandwiches specifically.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
What a potential base camp doesn’t want, but could never say it, is to be picked by an Iran, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Haiti or a tiny nation that is way down the FIFA rankings.
—Mac Engel
february 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026
Island Records picked her up a year later.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Barack Obama picked it up in 2009 and sat down for an interview with the host network every year.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
Lesson learned, to be applied in Dallas, ideally with a site picked within the next four months.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 2 Feb. 2026
Below, The Athletic picked 26 international athletes to watch (with a few liberties taken on the total number), spotlighting at least one top contender in every sport before competition begins Wednesday.
—Denny Alfonso, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picked
Adjective
-
The gist, however, seems to be that extra-terrestrials make contact with a selected few, before promising to go public to the entire world — good luck dealing with the ramifications of that one, human race!—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
31 Dec. 2025
-
The selected cohort—Diamond Batiste, Ciara Boniface, Jeremy Hsing, Alejandra López and Brittany Alexia Young—were chosen from nearly 1,000 submissions, placing them at the forefront of a new chapter in cinematic storytelling.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Between the river’s source, entrusted to an order of Orthodox nuns, and its southern delta, where caviar bound for the Kremlin is harvested, the author journeys through a defiant country transformed by war, sanctions, and reinvigorated patriotism.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
This data represents a compilation of 'infostealer’ logs—credentials harvested from personal devices by third-party malware—that have been aggregated over time.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
News of the deployment of ICE agents has provoked a backlash in Italy.—
Colleen Barry,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The troop deployments have provoked legal challenges from local leaders, and some have been successful.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Orange-and-white clown fish peered from rust-red anemones; neon-green parrotfish nibbled at bubblegum-pink brain coral.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The two leopards chased each other through the leaves and even nibbled on a few.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The alleged altercation ended when Maria grabbed the knife and stabbed Kallyne in the stomach, the report adds.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide detectives are looking for possible links among the recent slayings of four homeless people in Willowbrook, including the killing of former NFL lineman Kevin Johnson, who was stabbed to death last month.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Shop it in every length from petite to tall, plus 21 different colors that are all less than $50 while select sets are still on sale.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Members with fewer than 500 stars will fall into the green tier, receiving birthday rewards, early access to select products, personalized offers, and stars that expire after six months unless activity extends their validity.—
Mark Faithfull,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fans were expecting a blowout, so Jay Kornegay, manager of the sportsbook at the Imperial Palace casino in Las Vegas at that time, gathered his staff and came up with more than 150 bets on the game to keep fans engaged in what was otherwise going to be a one-sided affair.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Crowds gathered to watch the dogs cross the finish line, some particularly exhausted ones riding on their owners' sleds rather than pulling them.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The protesters took a violent turn at several points during that week.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In total, the design process took three years to complete with collaboration from several researchers and engineers.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Picked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picked. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
