pickle

noun

ˈpi-kəl How to pronounce pickle (audio)
Definition of picklenext
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape well, this is a bit of a pickle we've gotten ourselves into

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 pickle Burgers can come simple, adorned with just a smear of mustard or mayo and maybe a leaf of lettuce, or piled high with pickles, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, bacon and even an onion ring. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 My daughter, who lives in AZ, has joined a few pickleball leagues to meet people and just to get out and pickle which sounds very fun except for the hot summer nights there. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026 Shoved in a corner was an adult-size pickle costume by the designer who made Katy Perry’s Super Bowl halftime-show sharks. — Emma Allen, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 The project includes everything from videos of an Indigenous musician performing a song about water in the Tongva language to brothers worrying about the future of their family’s 60-year-old pickle business in the face of gentrification. — Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pickle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickle
  1. predicament
  2. dilemma
  3. hole
  4. bind
  5. swamp
  6. jam
Noun
  • Masterson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010, blaming his financial predicament on a former employee’s errors.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
  • And over a thousand people were in that predicament when her wedding to Travis Kelce rolled around.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 July 2026
Definition of predicament
Noun
  • The dilemma came amid financial woes at Western Hills Water District.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2026
  • Gilmore, of Marathon Sports, captured the dilemma that American runners face in the meantime.
    — Scott Douglas, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of dilemma
Noun
  • The Louisiana State University alum came into the round ahead by two strokes but quickly lost it and went birdie-free for the final 12 holes.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • Below it, there’s a wide concave base with a drainage hole that’s ideal for faux flowers, real flowers, or decorative rocks.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026
Definition of hole
Noun
  • States cannot file for bankruptcy, leaving the Prairie State in an unusually tight bind.
    — Gregory Kearney, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • Perhaps the most significant bind Albania’s government finds itself in over the project is the country’s relationship with the European Union.
    — Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2026
Definition of bind
Noun
  • Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • Found over the eastern half of the state in swamps and sluggish waterways, coastal marshes, rivers, ponds and streams.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • Dallas is in a difficult salary-cap jam — sitting a little more than $1 million over the limit after this signing — and getting Robertson signed to a long-term commitment would have meant a higher cap hit and cuts elsewhere.
    — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Mederos, a right-hander, came on with two outs and the tying run on third and got out of that jam.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of jam

Browse Nearby Words

picking up on
pickle
pickled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickle. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pickle

Nglish: Translation of pickle for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pickle

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