What does pick mean?
Definitions for pick
pɪkpick
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pick.
Princeton's WordNet
choice, pick, selectionnoun
the person or thing chosen or selected
"he was my pick for mayor"
picking, picknoun
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
"he sent the first picking of berries to the market"; "it was the biggest peach pick in years"
cream, picknoun
the best people or things in a group
"the cream of England's young men were killed in the Great War"
woof, weft, filling, picknoun
the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving
pick, plectrum, plectronnoun
a small thin device (of metal or plastic or ivory) used to pluck a stringed instrument
picknoun
a thin sharp implement used for removing unwanted material
"he used a pick to clean the dirt out of the cracks"
pick, pickax, pickaxenoun
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"
picknoun
a basketball maneuver; obstructing an opponent with one's body
"he was called for setting an illegal pick"
choice, selection, option, pickverb
the act of choosing or selecting
"your choice of colors was unfortunate"; "you can take your pick"
pickverb
select carefully from a group
"She finally picked her successor"; "He picked his way carefully"
pick, pluck, cullverb
look for and gather
"pick mushrooms"; "pick flowers"
blame, find fault, pickverb
harass with constant criticism
"Don't always pick on your little brother"
pickverb
provoke
"pick a fight or a quarrel"
pickverb
remove in small bits
"pick meat from a bone"
clean, pickverb
remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits
"Clean the turkey"
pickverb
pilfer or rob
"pick pockets"
foot, pickverb
pay for something
"pick up the tab"; "pick up the burden of high-interest mortgages"; "foot the bill"
pluck, plunk, pickverb
pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion
"he plucked the strings of his mandolin"
pick, break upverb
attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example
"Pick open the ice"
peck, pick, beakverb
hit lightly with a picking motion
nibble, pick, pieceverb
eat intermittently; take small bites of
"He pieced at the sandwich all morning"; "She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles"
GCIDE
Picknoun
Choice; right of selection; as, to have one's pick; in cat breeding, the owner of a stud gets the pick of the litter.
Wiktionary
picknoun
A tool used for digging; a pickaxe.
picknoun
A tool for unlocking a lock without the original key; a lock pick, picklock.
picknoun
A comb with long widely spaced teeth, for use with tightly curled hair.
picknoun
A choice.
picknoun
A screen
picknoun
An offensive tactic in which a player stands so as to block a defender from reaching a teammate.
picknoun
An interception.
picknoun
A good defensive play by an infielder
picknoun
Short for pick-off
pickverb
To grasp and pull with the fingers or fingernails.
pickverb
To harvest a fruit or vegetable for consumption by removing it from the plant to which it is attached; to harvest an entire plant by removing it from the ground.
It's time to pick the tomatoes.
pickverb
To decide between options.
I'll pick the one with the nicest name.
pickverb
To recognise the type of ball being bowled by a bowler by studying the position of the hand and arm as the ball is released.
He didn't pick the googly, and was bowled.
pickverb
To pluck the individual strings of a musical instrument or to play such an instrument.
He picked a tune on his banjo.
picknoun
A tool used for strumming the strings of a guitar; a plectrum.
Etymology: From picken, pikken, from *, pycan, from pikōnan, from beu-. Cognate with pikken, picken, pikka.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Picknoun
A sharp-pointed iron tool.
What the miners call chert and whern, the stone-cutters nicomia, is so hard, that the picks will not touch it; it will not split but irregularly. John Woodward, on Fossils.
To Pickverb
Etymology: picken, Dutch.
This fellow picks up wit as pigeons peas. William Shakespeare.
He hath pick’d out an act,
Under whose heavy sense your brother’s life
Falls into forfeit. William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure.Trust me, sweet,
Out of this silence yet I pick’d a welcome;
And in the modesty of fearful duty
I read as much, as from the rattling tongue
Of saucy and audacious eloquence. William Shakespeare.Contempt putteth an edge upon anger more than the hurt itself; and when men are ingenious in picking out circumstances of contempt, they do kindle their anger much. Francis Bacon.
The want of many things fed him with hope, that he should out of these his enemies distresses pick some fit occasion of advantage. Richard Knolles, History of the Turks.
They must pick me out with shackles tir’d,
To make them sport with blind activity. John Milton.What made thee pick and chuse her out,
T’ employ their sorceries about? Hudibras.How many examples have we seen of men that have been picked up and relieved out of starving necessities, afterwards conspire against their patrons. Roger L'Estrange.
If he would compound for half, it should go hard but he’d make a shift to pick it up. Roger L'Estrange.
A painter would not be much commended, who should pick out this cavern from the whole Æneids; he had better leave them in their obscurity. Dryden.
Imitate the bees, who pick from every flower that which they find most proper to make honey. Dryden.
He that is nourished by the acorns he picked up under an oak in the wood, has certainly appropriated them to himself. John Locke.
He asked his friends about him, where they had picked up such a blockhead. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 167.
The will may pick and chuse among these objects, but it cannot create any to work on. George Cheyne, Philosophical Principles.
Deep through a miry lane she pick’d her way,
Above her ankle rose the chalky clay. John Gay.Thus much he may be able to pick out, and willing to transfer into his new history; but the rest of your character will probably be dropped, on account of the antiquated stile they are delivered in. Jonathan Swift.
Heav’n, when it strives to polish all it can
Its last, best work, but forms a softer man,
Picks from each sex, to make the fav’rite blest, Alexander Pope.You owe me money, Sir John, and now you pick a quarrel to beguile me of it. William Shakespeare, Henry IV.
It was believed, that Perkin’s escape was not without the king’s privity, who had him all the time of his flight in a line; and that the king did this, to pick a quarrel to put him to death. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.
They are as peevish company to themselves as to their neighbours; for there’s not one circumstance in nature, but they shall find matters to pick a quarrel at. Roger L'Estrange.
Pick the very refuse of those harvest fields. James Thomson.
For private friends: his answer was,
He could not stay to pick them in a pile
Of musty chaff. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.It hath been noted by the ancients, that it is dangerous to pick one’s ears whilst he yawneth; for that in yawning, the minor parchment of the ear is extended by the drawing of the breath. Francis Bacon, Natural History.
He picks and culls his thoughts for conversation, by suppressing some, and communicating others. Addison.
You are not to wash your hands, till you have picked your sallad. Jonathan Swift.
Hope is a pleasant premeditation of enjoyment; as when a dog expects, till his master has done picking a bone. More.
Pick an apple with a pin full of holes not deep, and smear it with spirits, to see if the virtual heat of the strong waters will not mature it. Francis Bacon.
In the face, a small wart or fiery pustule, being healed by scratching or picking with nails, will terminate corrosive. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.
The eye that mocketh at his father, the ravens of the valley shall pick out. Proverbs xxx. 17.
The other night I fell asleep here, and had my pocket pickt; this house is turn’d bawdy-house, they pick pockets. William Shakespeare.
They have a design upon your pocket, and the word conscience is used only as an instrument to pick it. South.
Did you ever find
That any art could pick the lock, or power
Could force it open. John Denham.To Pickverb
Why stand’st thou picking? is thy palate sore,
That bete and radishes will make thee roar. Dryden.He was too warm on picking work to dwell,
But faggoted his notions as they fell,
And if they rhym’d and rattl’d, all was well. Dryden.
ChatGPT
pick
To pick can have several meanings, including: 1) To choose or select from a group or range of possibilities. 2) To gather or collect, like picking fruits or vegetables. 3) To remove something, like picking dirt off a shirt or picking a lock. 4) To play a stringed instrument by plucking its strings with one's fingers or a pick (e.g., guitar). 5) To poke or prod at something, like picking a wound. 6) In sports, such as basketball or football, a type of play where one player blocks an opponent to free a teammate for a shot or a pass. Note: The meaning of 'pick' usually depends on its context.
Webster Dictionary
Pick
to throw; to pitch
Pick
to peck at, as a bird with its beak; to strike at with anything pointed; to act upon with a pointed instrument; to pierce; to prick, as with a pin
Pick
to separate or open by means of a sharp point or points; as, to pick matted wool, cotton, oakum, etc
Pick
to open (a lock) as by a wire
Pick
to pull apart or away, especially with the fingers; to pluck; to gather, as fruit from a tree, flowers from the stalk, feathers from a fowl, etc
Pick
to remove something from with a pointed instrument, with the fingers, or with the teeth; as, to pick the teeth; to pick a bone; to pick a goose; to pick a pocket
Pick
to choose; to select; to separate as choice or desirable; to cull; as, to pick one's company; to pick one's way; -- often with out
Pick
to take up; esp., to gather from here and there; to collect; to bring together; as, to pick rags; -- often with up; as, to pick up a ball or stones; to pick up information
Pick
to trim
Pickverb
to eat slowly, sparingly, or by morsels; to nibble
Pickverb
to do anything nicely or carefully, or by attending to small things; to select something with care
Pickverb
to steal; to pilfer
Picknoun
a sharp-pointed tool for picking; -- often used in composition; as, a toothpick; a picklock
Picknoun
a heavy iron tool, curved and sometimes pointed at both ends, wielded by means of a wooden handle inserted in the middle, -- used by quarrymen, roadmakers, etc.; also, a pointed hammer used for dressing millstones
Picknoun
a pike or spike; the sharp point fixed in the center of a buckler
Picknoun
choice; right of selection; as, to have one's pick
Picknoun
that which would be picked or chosen first; the best; as, the pick of the flock
Picknoun
a particle of ink or paper imbedded in the hollow of a letter, filling up its face, and occasioning a spot on a printed sheet
Picknoun
that which is picked in, as with a pointed pencil, to correct an unevenness in a picture
Picknoun
the blow which drives the shuttle, -- the rate of speed of a loom being reckoned as so many picks per minute; hence, in describing the fineness of a fabric, a weft thread; as, so many picks to an inch
Etymology: [OE. picken, pikken, to prick, peck; akin to Icel. pikka, Sw. picka, Dan. pikke, D. pikken, G. picken, F. piquer, W. pigo. Cf. Peck, v., Pike, Pitch to throw.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Pick
pik, v.t. to prick with a sharp-pointed instrument: to peck, as a bird: to pierce: to open with a pointed instrument, as a lock: to pluck or gather, as flowers, &c.: to separate or pull apart: to clean with the teeth: to gather: to choose: to select: to call: to seek, as a quarrel: to steal.—v.i. to do anything carefully: to eat by morsels.—n. any sharp-pointed instrument, esp. for loosening and breaking up hard soil, &c.: a picklock: foul matter collecting on printing-types, &c.: right or opportunity of first choice.—n. Pick′-cheese, the blue titmouse: the fruit of the mallow.—adj. Picked (pikt), selected, hence the choicest or best: having spines or prickles, sharp-pointed.—ns. Pick′edness; Pick′er, one who picks or gathers up: one who removes defects from and finishes electrotype plates: a pilferer; Pick′ing, the act of picking, selecting, gathering, pilfering: that which is left to be picked: dabbing in stone-working: the final finishing of woven fabrics by removing burs, &c.: removing defects from electrotype plates; Pick′lock, an instrument for picking or opening locks; Pick′-me-up, a stimulating drink; Pick′pocket, one who picks or steals from other people's pockets; Pick′-purse, one who steals the purse or from the purse of another.—adj. Pick′some, given to picking and choosing.—n. Pick′-thank, an officious person who does what he is not desired to do in order to gain favour: a flatterer: a parasite.—v.t. to gain favour by unworthy means.—Pick a hole in one's coat, to find fault with one; Pick a quarrel, to find an occasion of quarrelling; Pick at, to find fault with; Pick fault, to seek occasions of fault-finding; Pick oakum, to make oakum by untwisting old ropes; Pick off, to aim at and kill or wound, as with a rifle; Pick one's way, to move carefully; Pick out, to make out: to mark with spots of colour, &c.; Pick to pieces, to tear asunder: to damage, as character; Pick up, to improve gradually: to gain strength bit by bit: to take into a vehicle, or into one's company: to get as if by chance.—adj. gathered together by chance. [Celt., as Gael. pioc, to pick, W. pigo; cf. Pike.]
Suggested Resources
PICK
What does PICK stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the PICK acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.
Entomology
Pick
a chitinous maxillary structure in Psocidae.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
PICK
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pick is ranked #9451 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Pick surname appeared 3,442 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Pick.
89.4% or 3,077 total occurrences were White.
5.8% or 202 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
2.4% or 84 total occurrences were Asian.
1% or 35 total occurrences were of two or more races.
0.7% or 25 total occurrences were Black.
0.5% or 19 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pick' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2355
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pick' in Written Corpus Frequency: #510
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pick' in Verbs Frequency: #151
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of pick in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of pick in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Examples of pick in a Sentence
Sometimes love will pick you up by the short hairs...and jerk the heck out of you.
There’s no question in my mind he’s the best player in the country, and there’s no question in my mind, though there’s a lot of really good players out there, whoever has the No. 1 pick -- they can overthink this. This one’s not that hard.
I know them. They all are supporting Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, i want the hedge fund guys who pay very little -- they make a lot of money -- and a lot of it is luck. They pick a stock and all of a sudden they make a lot of money. I want the hedge fund guys to pay more taxes.
For the markets to move higher we need to see revenue growth and consumer spending to pick up. There is a feeling that consumers aren't spending enough and are saving instead.
Fussy eating is very common in young children and in extreme cases can lead to very limited choice of food, there is a need to pick up on eating problems such as these as early as possible so the issue around limited textures and tastes can be addressed.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for pick
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- قطف او يقطفArabic
- picCatalan, Valencian
- trsátko, krumpáčCzech
- чєсатиOld Church Slavonic, Church Slavonic, Old Bulgarian
- plukkeDanish
- Dietrich, Plektron, Hacke, Pickel, Plektrum, pflückenGerman
- ganzúa, picoSpanish
- کلنگPersian
- plektra, valinta, valita, harva, kampa, hakku, tonkia, poimia, tiirikka, lukeaFinnish
- médiator, écran, choisir, cueillir, pioche, prendre, choixFrench
- քլունգ, բրիչArmenian
- lesaIcelandic
- piccone, barriera, prendere, scegliere, raccogliere, scelta, plettro, stuzzicadentiItalian
- つるはしJapanese
- whawhaki, whakiwhaki, tāhoraMāori
- трнокоп, копачMacedonian
- krabben, plukken, kiezen, nemenDutch
- plukke, dirk, pilke, plekter, velge, valg, hakkeNorwegian
- escolher, colher, picareta, pegarPortuguese
- p'itiyQuechua
- выбирать, сорва́ть, отмы́чка, плектр, медиа́тор, вы́бор, собира́ть, срыва́ть, кайло́, выбра́ть, собра́ть, выбира́ть, рва́ть, кирка́Russian
- hacka, välja, plockaSwedish
- mızrap, tezene, pena, çilingir, kazma, seçmek, çalgıçTurkish
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