Synonyms of picking

picking 1 of 2

noun

as in choice

the act or process of selecting

the picking of new recruits went on for three days

Synonyms & Similar Words

• choice
• election
• selecting
• choosing
• selection
• nomination
• decision
• naming
• option
• appointment
• designation
• assignment

picking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pick

1

as in harvesting

to catch or collect (a crop or natural resource) for human use

pick peas and beans from the garden for dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harvesting
• gathering
• reaping
• growing
• fishing
• mowing
• accumulating
• cutting
• gleaning
• foraging
• sealing
• garnering
• hunting
• capturing
• cropping
• bagging
• trapping
• whaling
• clamming
• raising
• netting
• shrimping
• snaring
• haying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• planting
• seeding
• sowing

2

as in selecting

to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities

I pick you as my partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• selecting
• choosing
• taking
• naming
• electing
• preferring
• culling
• designating
• tagging
• handpicking
• cherry-picking
• singling (out)
• opting (for)
• nominating
• tapping
• appointing
• adopting
• accepting
• marking
• preselecting
• fixing
• embracing
• setting
• tabbing
• settling (on or upon)
• espousing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rejecting
• refusing
• declining
• turning down
• discarding
• repudiating
• disapproving
• spurning
• throwing away
• throwing out
• jettisoning
• negativing

3

as in provoking

to bring (something volatile or intense) into being

he seems to be trying to pick a fight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• provoking
• raising
• promoting
• triggering
• encouraging
• cultivating
• instigating
• fermenting
• inciting
• fomenting
• brewing
• stimulating
• stirring (up)
• whipping (up)
• abetting
• setting in motion
• fostering
• sowing
• furthering
• advancing
• forwarding
• nurturing
• detonating
• motivating
• nourishing
• inspiring
• setting
• activating
• setting off
• rousing
• exciting
• galvanizing
• firing
• inflaming
• energizing
• invigorating
• enlivening
• quickening
• vitalizing
• jazzing (up)
• pepping (up)
• livening (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• checking
• holding
• regulating
• restraining
• inhibiting
• discouraging
• constraining
• curbing
• taming
• settling
• soothing
• reining (in)
• subduing
• calming
• bridling
• quieting
• allaying
• stilling
• tranquilizing

4

as in nibbling

to eat reluctantly and in small bites

still suffering from the shock of his wife's death, he could do no more than pick halfheartedly at his food

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nibbling
• pecking
• snacking
• grazing
• tasting
• noshing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gorging
• overeating
• swilling
• pigging out
• gormandizing

5

as in stabbing

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

• stabbing
• jabbing
• puncturing
• sticking
• piercing
• pecking
• spitting
• poking
• slicing
• spiking
• spearing
• punching
• skewering
• impaling
• running through
• harpooning
• lancing
• transfixing
• goring
• transpiercing
• pinking
• cutting
• spindling
• perforating
• riddling
• pricking
• thrusting
• bayoneting
• piking
• knifing
• gimleting
• quilling
• pronging
• pinpricking
• dirking
• poniarding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of picking

Noun

The summer season offers strawberry, blueberry, flower and peach picking, while fall welcomes apple and pumpkin picking. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 11 Sep. 2026

There’s plenty happening around town, too, including the Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival, the North Carolina State Fair, and pumpkin picking and hayrides at Page Farms. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2026

Apple picking is priced by bag size and not included in admission. — Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 5 Sep. 2026

The duo bundled up for a crisp and cozy fall outing in 2013, sharing a smiling selfie on Instagram from their trip to an orchard for some apple picking. — Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Don’t miss apple picking from century-old orchards at Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026

From leaf-peeping in the Adirondacks to apple picking in Georgia, these destinations showcase the best of fall family travel. — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Next month marks the arrival of fall, the quintessential New England season that includes apple picking, crisp autumn air and the arrival of leaf-peeping season. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026

In veggie beds, many varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and other nightshades mature at this time and are ripe for the picking. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2026

Verb

The level of media attention could also make picking a second impartial jury more difficult, a factor that could influence Cruz's decision. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

The wildcard should be about targeting the fixture swings and picking players with long-term potential, rather than chasing points already scored. — Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Verrett spent much of his final years at ESPN picking social media fights with people who voiced even mildly conservative opinions. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Shucking fresh corn is one of summer’s simple pleasures until you’re left picking stubborn strands of silk from between every row of kernels. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2026

Others include a man in Michigan picking movies to watch on Netflix with his wife in England. — Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Allergists recommend bypassing diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and instead, picking your favorite nonsedating antihistamine pill, like fexofenadine (Allegra), loratadine (Claritin) or cetirizine (Zyrtec), according to the World Allergy Organization. — Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Now, the state is essentially picking winners, not rescuing big US companies that are deemed critical to the economy. — Norah Rami, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Put your ripe-for-the-picking tomatoes to good use with this fresh take on puttanesca. — Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2026