pick somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb ( see also ↑ pick )
1 . CHOOSE to choose someone or something from a group:
She picked out a navy blue dress.
His story was picked out as the best by the judges.
2 . RECOGNIZE to recognize someone or something in a group of people or things:
She was able to pick out her father at the other side of the room.
I picked out Valerie’s voice from among the general conversation.
3 . SEE if you can pick something out, you can see it but not very clearly:
I could just pick out some letters carved into the stone.
4 . SHOWN CLEARLY [usually passive] if something is picked out, it is in a different colour or material from the background, so that it can be clearly seen:
His name was picked out in gold lettering.
5 . PLAY A TUNE to play a tune on a musical instrument slowly or with difficulty:
He sat at the piano and picked out a simple tune.