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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 The meat from Kafi BBQ is locally sourced from halal farms and everything from the barbecue sauce, bread and pickles are made in-house at the restaurant. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026 Sitting directly above the Goatek is a healthy slab of ZoomX foam split into two densities and given a profile designed to look like an actual pickle. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 At the Minnesota State Fair, visitors can find pronto pups, pickle pizza and, every year, no shortage of politicians. — Esme Murphy, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Since then, raw egg yolks, pickle brine, cumin seeds, six-packs of Coke, and greasy breakfast sandwiches have all been credited with easing our post-drinking ailments. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 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
  • Her mother hustled her to hospital, only for the doctors to realize Accurso’s active imagination had left her in the same predicament as Madeline’s friends.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
  • For their part, the Reiners attempted to work through their predicament not just via the therapeutic process but the creative one.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of predicament
Noun
  • Before this dilemma can play out, Hal triggers an Indiana Jones–esque booby trap inside the compound’s stronghold, summoning Macon’s men with their advanced weaponry.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Democrats are happy to point out the dilemma facing their Republican opponents.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of dilemma
Noun
  • Graham birdied the last two holes to earn a precious halve against 17-year-old Miles Russell.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Cash transfers, fund swaps, delayed pension contributions and one-time revenues can make the budget look balanced while the ACFR still shows a hole.
    — Sheila Weinberg, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of hole
Noun
  • Feasting on neutrality Few illustrate the current bind better than Caitlin Clark.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Hightower high lord and his armies have occupied Tumbleton and have Rhaenyra in something of a bind.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of bind
Noun
  • Staying safe from alligators in Florida Alligators have inhabited Florida's marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for centuries and are found in all of Florida's 67 counties.
    — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The $20 billion Dangote Refinery built on swamp land on the outskirts of Lagos becomes the fourth Dangote Industries subsidiary to go public in Nigeria.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • Raspberry jam oozed from between the layers like sticky blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • His antitrust lawsuit, filed in collaboration with 11 other Democratic state attorneys general, has since stalled the largest Hollywood merger in decades and put Ellison in a jam.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pickle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pickle

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