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

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

Cue the pumpkin spice lattes, flannel shirts, and all of the apple picking. — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2026

But hotter springs and summers are accelerating the grape-ripening process, creating more sugary fruit and narrowing the optimum picking window for Champagne. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026

Most of its performance therefore reflects movements in global equity and bond markets rather than discretionary stock picking. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026

Critics, including some Republicans and economists, warn against the state picking winners and losers. — James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Some fruits, like wild blueberries, are frozen within 24 hours of picking, preserving their taste and vitamin content. — Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 6 Aug. 2026

As a bonus, the season also brings plenty of opportunities for apple picking, pumpkin patches, and other seasonal activities. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 28 July 2026

Mangoes are ripe for the picking in South Florida and the avocado trees are full. — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026

Verb

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

One measure of the stock market shows that investors are going to have to get more savvy about picking bets in the future. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Most people would have a hard time picking it out from the countless other examples peaking above this portion of the river running through Budapest, Hungary. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

When not picking zucchini, asparagus or other vegetables, Sister Clare Joseph runs the monastery infirmary. — Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2026

Another help has been picking different parts of the ball to hit, Stott said — aiming toward the bottom when facing sinkerballers and the top against four-seam throwers. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

The Sunday picnics stopped, as did the fruit-picking excursions and trips to the river. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026