pick

/pˈɪk/ · 1 syllable

Meaning

verb

select carefully from a group
“She finally picked her successor”
look for and gather
“pick mushrooms”
harass with constant criticism
“Don't always pick on your little brother”
provoke
“pick a fight or a quarrel”
remove in small bits
“pick meat from a bone”
remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits
“Clean the turkey”
pilfer or rob
“pick pockets”
pay for something
“pick up the tab”
pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion
“he plucked the strings of his mandolin”
attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example
“Pick open the ice”
hit lightly with a picking motion
eat intermittently; take small bites of
“He pieced at the sandwich all morning”

noun

the person or thing chosen or selected
“he was my pick for mayor”
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
“he sent the first picking of berries to the market”
the best people or things in a group
“the cream of England's young men were killed in the Great War”
the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving
a small thin device (of metal or plastic or ivory) used to pluck a stringed instrument
a thin sharp implement used for removing unwanted material
“he used a pick to clean the dirt out of the cracks”
a heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends
“they used picks and sledges to break the rocks”
a basketball maneuver; obstructing an opponent with one's body
“he was called for setting an illegal pick”
the act of choosing or selecting
“your choice of colors was unfortunate”

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