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

However, the announcement does not provide measured picking rates, error frequencies, or other performance results from the trial. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026

My season record picking games against the spread is barely above break-even after three straight losing weeks. — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Gathering urchins has much the same feeling as mushroom picking or birdwatching (or indeed easter egg hunting). — Joseph Ogilvy, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026

For one mom, a pair of hand-me-down ruby red rain boots held a treasure trove of memories of school-trekking, puddle-jumping, and fruit-picking. — Stephanie Cook Broadhurst, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2026

Today, the 31-year-old is sneakily skilled in ways beyond classical picking or noisy shredding. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

This season, bold knits and unexpected color pairings are ripe for the picking, courtesy of Tory Burch. — Ciarra Lorren Zatorski, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2026

Just a 20-minute drive from Charlottesville, Crozet sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains—and scenic views, pumpkin picking, hiking trails, vineyards, and charming local shops abound. — Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2026

By 2002, the group had disbanded, but some of its members founded TOOOL and went on to launch yearly lock-picking competitions. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Verb

To be fair to the Falcons, picking Georgia Tech to cover the spread at Pittsburgh was almost as dumb. — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 5 Nov. 2026

In one scenario cited by Visa, a customer asks the AI for help in picking a new television. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026

Ada joined Blaine and Teton Counties, Idaho’s two reliably blue jurisdictions, in picking Achilles over Risch. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 5 Nov. 2026

From there, the 13 people in that room could have been picking from a hat. — Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026

My literary agent, Andy McNicol, is picking me up to go to a breakfast hosted at Claudette by owner Carlos Suarez on lower Fifth to celebrate my memoir, Desire Feeds the Feast. — Tarajia Morrell, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026

In picking the participating artists, the goal was to select those who emulated Parson’s musical spirit. — Melinda Newman, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2026

Often, Kitagawa’s cinematography embraces symmetry, emphasizing the clean geometric lines of Takeshi’s home, picking an object or person to place at the centre of the frame. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026

The challenge of picking wine for Thanksgiving is multifaceted. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026