1
as in to master
to acquire complete knowledge, understanding, or skill in
he has a knack for picking up a language in a few weeks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to collect
to bring together in one body or place
pick up all of your things because we have to be off this beach before dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to buy
to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for
could you pick up some milk at the store?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to gain
to gradually increase in
the boat was just picking up speed when it was rammed by another boat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to lift
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
pick up your feet while I vacuum in front of the sofa
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to arrest
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law
police picked up the fugitive when she went out to buy food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to clean 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?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in to resume
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in to trim
to make neat
the boy's bedroom looked like it hadn't been picked up in quite a while
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 pickup
Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
The pilot was not picked up to series.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2025
Sydney Sweeney picked up an accolade for her latest big-screen transformation.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Another business hoping to pick up some of the traffic is Riding’s Kayak the Colorado.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickup
Noun
When Daria called the number he’d given, someone picked up on the first ring.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
The pilot was not picked up to series.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2025
Sydney Sweeney picked up an accolade for her latest big-screen transformation.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Another business hoping to pick up some of the traffic is Riding’s Kayak the Colorado.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickup
Verb
-
No other team has been able to master it like the Eagles have been able to.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
From day one, new consultants rotate across industries, geographies, and functions, adapting on the fly and mastering unfamiliar businesses.—
Ruth Umoh,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Lawmakers have promised that schools and local governments, which receive a large share of the sales tax revenue the state collects, will be held harmless by the shift.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
It's collected nine Assembly co-sponsors and four from the Senate but hasn't been brought to a committee, Brill said.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That includes other immigrants who continue to buy homes to move into or to invest in, even some without legal immigration status.—
Juan Cordoba,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Why does one hard working fan have to buy seven different versions of an album instead of just having all of the songs be on one complete album?—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This was the round when Liverpool lost yet again, Arsenal moved to the top of the Premier League, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca lost his cool but gained a few friends and Manchester United won a fairly straightforward, drama-free match.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Honer, a former college diver, moved to Nashville in 2024 after gaining viral success.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Eventually, around five firefighters arrived and were able to lift the elevator roughly five feet to pull them out safely.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Once the man was no longer surrounded by the beans, first responders were able to attach the man to a harness and lifted him up and out of the grain bin.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The journalists were among 15 people arrested during the July 17 demonstration held in support of Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former Cincinnati Children's chaplain who was detained by ICE several days before.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The cops showed up and arrested him for God knows what, but Lee definitely didn’t serve four days and one morning for protesting apartheid or being gay in Victorian England.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Flights resumed early Friday morning but were halted that evening after more drones were spotted.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Jiang and the rest of the crew reunite and resume work on their unfinished feature.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tommy Castellanos threw a pair of touchdown passes (with two-point conversions) and drove into field goal range to trim Miami’s lead from 28-3 to 28-22.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Built-in editing tools enable you to crop, trim, merge clips, add watermarks, and extract subtitles for complete control.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickup. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share