PICKING UP Synonyms: 333 Similar and Opposite Words

picking up

verb

Definition of picking up next

present participle of pick up

as in mastering

to acquire complete knowledge, understanding, or skill in he has a knack for picking up a language in a few weeks

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as in assembling

to bring together in one body or place pick up all of your things because we have to be off this beach before dark

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as in buying

to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for could you pick up some milk at the store?

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as in growing (in)

to gradually increase in the boat was just picking up speed when it was rammed by another boat

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as in lifting

to move from a lower to a higher place or position pick up your feet while I vacuum in front of the sofa

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as in arresting

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law police picked up the fugitive when she went out to buy food

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as in cleaning house

to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff I thought you said you had picked up, so why are these things still lying around the rec room?

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as in resuming

to begin again or return to after an interruption after the protestors were removed from the auditorium, the speaker picked up his lecture right where he had left off

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as in trimming

to make neat the boy's bedroom looked like it hadn't been picked up in quite a while

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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 picking up Job cuts are picking up across the tech sector as companies reckon with the AI boom. —

Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026 The film has screened at more than 85 festivals across some 40 countries since its Sundance breakthrough, picking up the jury prize at the inaugural SXSW London in 2025. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026 Parents picking up or dropping off kids will have to wait in the lobby. —

Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026 Charges say surveillance video from the day care shows the woman picking up a child and falling backward into the wall, also slamming the child's head into the wall. —

Riley Moser, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 Swapped is Jordan’s first movie since picking up the Best Actor nomination for Sinners. —

Zac Ntim, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026 The White House has scheduled a party for Friday and you, taxpayer, will be picking up the check – in more ways than one. —

Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026 Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti. —

Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026 The video shows Paul hitting Mortensen, grabbing him around the neck and kicking him before picking up metal barstools and throwing them in his direction. —

Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for picking up

Verb

Outside of entertainment, mastering these issues will greatly improve humanoid robot utility in things like search and rescue, military use, industrial use, and logistics.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
The online apparel retailer has become a $10 billion-plus e-commerce giant by mastering the art of the supply chain.

— Amanda Mull, Bloomberg, 15 Apr. 2026