/ pɪk; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to choose sb/sth from a group of people or things :
[ vn ]
Pick a number from one to twenty.
She picked the best cake for herself.
He picked his words carefully.
Have I picked a bad time to talk to you?
[ vn to inf ]
He has been picked to play in this week's game.
—see also hand-picked ➡ note at choose
2.
[ vn ] to take flowers, fruit, etc. from the plant or the tree where they are growing :
to pick grapes
flowers freshly picked from the garden
to go blackberry picking
3.
to pull or remove sth or small pieces of sth from sth else, especially with your fingers :
[ vn + adv. / prep. ]
She picked bits of fluff from his sweater.
He picked the nuts off the top of the cake.
[ vn ]
to pick your nose (= put your finger inside your nose to remove dried mucus )
to pick your teeth (= use a small sharp piece of wood to remove pieces of food from your teeth)
[ vn - adj ]
The dogs picked the bones clean (= ate all the meat from the bones) .
4.
[ v , vn ] ( NAmE ) = pluck (3)
•
IDIOMS
- pick and choose
- pick sb's brains
- pick a fight / quarrel (with sb)
- pick holes in sth
- pick a lock
- pick sb's pocket
- pick up the bill, tab, etc. (for sth)
- pick up the pieces
- pick up speed
- pick up the threads
- pick your way (across, along, among, over, through sth)
- pick a winner
—more at bone noun , piece noun , shred noun
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- pick at sth
- pick sb off
- pick sth off
- pick on sb/sth
- pick sb/sth out
- pick sth out
- pick sth over | pick through sth
- pick up
- pick up | pick sth up
- pick sb up
- pick sb/sth up
- pick sth up
- pick up on sth
- pick sb up on sth
- pick yourself up
■ noun
1.
[ sing. ] an act of choosing sth :
Take your pick (= choose) .
The winner gets first pick of the prizes.
2.
[ C ] a person or thing that is chosen :
She was his pick for best actress.
➡ note at choice
3.
[ sing. ] the ~ of sth the best thing or things in a group :
We're reviewing the pick of this month's new books.
I think we got the pick of the bunch (= the best in the group) .
4.
[ C ] = pickaxe :
picks and shovels
5.
[ C ] ( informal ) = plectrum
—see also ice pick , toothpick
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun senses 1 to 3 Middle English (earlier as pike , which continues in dialect use): of unknown origin. Compare with Dutch pikken pick, peck, and German picken peck, puncture, also with French piquer to prick.
noun sense 4 Middle English : variant of pike weapon .