PICK UP

v. 1. To take up; lift. During the morning Mrs. Carter picked up sticks in the yard. 2. informal To pay for someone else. After lunch, in the restaurant, Uncle Bob picked up the check. 3. To take on or away; receive; get. At the next corner the bus stopped and picked up three people. 4. To get from different places at different times; a little at a time; collect. He had picked up rare coins in seaports all over the world. 5. To get without trying; get accidentally. He picked up knowledge of radio just by staying around the radio station. Billy picked up a cold at school. 6a. To gather together; collect. When the carpenter finished making the cabinet, he began picking up his tools. 6b. To make neat and tidy; tidy up; put in order. Pick up your room before Mother sees it. 6c. To gather things together; tidy a place up. It's almost dinner time, children. Time to pick up and get ready. 7. To catch the sound of. He picked up Chicago on the radio. 8. To get acquainted with (someone) without an introduction; make friends with (a person of the other sex). Mother told Mary not to walk home by herself from the party because some stranger might try to pick her up. 9. informal To take to the police station or jail; arrest. Police picked the man up for burglary. 10. To recognize the trail of a hunted person or animal; find. State police picked up the bandit's trail. The dogs picked up the fox's smell. 11. To make (someone) feel better; refresh. A little food will pick you up. 12a. To increase (the speed); make (the speed) faster. The teacher told her singing class to pick up the tempo. The car picked up speed. 12b. To become faster; become livelier. The speed of the train began to pick up. After the band practiced for a while, the music began to pick up. 13. To start again after interruption; go on with. The class picked up the story where they had left it before the holiday. They met after five years, and picked up their friendship as if there had been no interruption. 14. informal To become better; recover; gain. She picked up in her schoolwork. He picked up gradually after a long illness. His spirits picked up as he came near home.