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

Hilton’s ‘travel with purpose’ program encourages employees to engage in community projects such as litter picking, cleaning river banks, and helping young people with CV writing. — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Guests can also look forward to pumpkin picking, the seasonal corn maze, and other fresh goods sold at the Apple Barrel Farm Market. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

The company’s website describes Nucleus as providing humanoid labor to factories by the hour, with current applications including parts picking, shelf loading, product handling, and cart transport. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Travel experts recommend Washington for an autumn escape filled with golden larches, apple picking, wine tasting, misty rainforests, and charming mountain towns. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026

The hour captures Strings and his four-piece acoustic band — mandolin, upright bass, banjo and fiddle — in classic picking session formation, with a setlist that also includes selections from 2021’s Renewal. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 Sep. 2026

In one photo from the outing, Sterling sat on her dad’s shoulders while apple picking. — Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

My 7-4 record picking games against the spread in Week 2 is the best since a 7-4 record in Week 13 of last year. — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 17 Sep. 2026

September and October are prime months for apple picking, with plenty of other activities to keep you entertained. — Will Barker, TheWeek, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

Changing spending habits Other Democratic megadonors are simply cutting out the middleman, picking individual races and candidates to support. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Sheeran, on the other end, faced intense backlash for not standing up for the rapper and avoiding picking a side. — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

Thirty-one states are holding supreme court elections in 2026, with voters nationwide picking judges to fill more than 60 open seats. — Rachel Rebouché, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026

As Madison explains, picking her first post-Oscar gig definitely stressed her out, but her desire to grow her career and range (a la Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert) helped push her to take on the project. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026

Fort Worth-area high school football heads into Week 7 with district championships taking shape, a star running back picking a Power Four school and a new high school revealing its mascot. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026

Instead, picking one up will open the door to sharing the fun of console gaming with your whole family again, and getting some light exercise in the process. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026

Flagge, the warrant affidavit said, was seen on the footage picking the child up and placing her on a couch. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026

Karlsson noted point guards in basketball who let the ball roll before picking it up so the clock doesn’t start. — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026