picking

[ pik-ing ]

/ ˈpɪk ɪŋ /

noun

the act of a person or thing that picks.

something that is or may be picked or picked up.

the amount picked.

pickings,

scraps or gleanings: the pickings of a feast.
profits or gains; spoils.

Origin of picking

before 900; Middle English; Old English picung (once) a mark made by picking; see pick¹, -ing¹

Words nearby picking

picket fence, picket line, pickett, pickford, pickin, picking, pickings, pickle, pickled, pickleworm, picklock

Definition for picking (2 of 3)

pick ¹

[ pik ]

/ pɪk /

verb (used with object)

to choose or select from among a group: to pick a contestant from the audience.

to seek and find occasion for; provoke: to pick a fight.

to attempt to find; seek out: to pick flaws in an argument.

to steal the contents of: Her pocket was picked yesterday.

to open (a lock) with a device other than the key, as a sharp instrument or wire, especially for the purpose of burglary.

to pierce, indent, dig into, or break up (something) with a pointed instrument: to pick rock; to pick ore.

to form (a hole) by such action: to pick a hole in asphalt.

to use a pointed instrument, the fingers, the teeth, the beak, etc., on (a thing), in order to remove or loosen something, as a small part or adhering matter: to pick one's teeth.

to prepare for use by removing a covering piece by piece, as feathers, hulls, or other parts: to pick a fowl.

to detach or remove piece by piece with the fingers: She picked the meat from the bones.

to pluck or gather one by one: to pick flowers.

(of birds or other animals) to take up (small bits of food) with the bill or teeth.

to eat daintily or in small morsels.

to separate, pull apart, or pull to pieces: to pick fibers.

Music.

to pluck (the strings of an instrument).
to play (a stringed instrument) by plucking with the fingers.

verb (used without object)

to strike with or use a pick or other pointed instrument on something.

(of birds or other animals) to take up small bits of food with the bill or teeth: The hens were busily picking about in their coop.

to select carefully or fastidiously.

to pilfer; steal.

to pluck or gather fruit, flowers, etc.

Basketball. to execute a pick.

noun

the act of choosing or selecting; choice; selection: to take one's pick.

a person or thing that is selected: He is our pick for president.

the choicest or most desirable part, example, or examples: This horse is the pick of the stable.

the right of selection: He gave me my pick of the litter.

the quantity of a crop picked, as from trees, bushes, etc., at a particular time: The pick was poor this season.

Printing.

a speck of dirt, hardened ink, or extra metal on set type or a plate.
a small area removed from the surface of a coated paper by ink that adheres to the form.

a stroke with something pointed: The rock shattered at the first pick of the ax.

Basketball. an offensive maneuver in which a player moves into a position between a defender and a teammate with the ball so as to prevent the defender from interfering with the shot. Compare pick-and-roll.

Verb Phrases

pick at,

to find fault with unnecessarily or persistently; nag.
to eat sparingly or daintily: As he was ill, he only picked at his food.
to grasp at; touch; handle: The baby loved to pick at her mother's glasses.

pick off,

to remove by pulling or plucking off.
to single out and shoot: The hunter picked off a duck rising from the marsh.
Baseball. to put out (a base runner) in a pick-off play.

pick on,

Informal. to criticize or blame; tease; harass.
to single out; choose: The professor always picks on me to translate long passages.

pick out,

to choose; designate: to pick out one's successor.
to distinguish from that which surrounds or accompanies; recognize: to pick out a well-known face in a crowd.
to discern (sense or meaning); discriminate.
to play (a melody) by ear; work out note by note.
to extract by picking.

pick over, to examine (an assortment of items) in order to make a selection: Eager shoppers were picking over the shirts on the bargain tables.

pick up,

to lift or take up: to pick up a stone.
to collect, especially in an orderly manner: Pick up the tools when you're finished.
to recover (one's courage, health, etc.); regain.
to gain by occasional opportunity; obtain casually: to pick up a livelihood.
to learn, as by experience: I've picked up a few Japanese phrases.
to claim: to pick up one's bags at an airport.
to take (a person or thing) into a car or ship, etc., or along with one.
to bring into range of reception, observation, etc.: to pick up Rome on one's radio.
to accelerate; gain (speed).
to put in good order; tidy: to pick up a room.
to make progress; improve: Business is beginning to pick up.
to catch or contract, as a disease.
Informal. to become acquainted with informally or casually, often in hope of a sexual relationship: Let's pick up some dates tonight.
to resume or continue after being left off: Let's pick up the discussion in our next meeting.
Informal. to take into custody; arrest: They picked him up for vagrancy.
Informal. to obtain; find; purchase: She picked up some nice shoes on sale.
Slang. to steal: to pick up jewels and silver.
to accept, as in order to pay: to pick up the check.

pick up on, Informal.

become aware or cognizant of; be perceptive about; notice: to pick up on the hostess's hostility.
to pay special attention to; keep an eye on: to pick up on a troubled student.

Origin of pick

1250–1300; v. Middle English pyken, pikken, pekken, cognate with Dutch pikken, German picken, Old Norse pikka to pick; akin to peck², pike⁵; (noun) derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR pick

4 rob, pilfer.

12 reap, collect.

synonym study for pick

1. See choose.

OTHER WORDS FROM pick

pick·a·ble, adjective un·pick·a·ble, adjective

Definition for picking (3 of 3)

pick ³

[ pik ]

/ pɪk /

Textiles.

verb (used with object)

to cast (a shuttle).

noun

(in a loom) one passage of the shuttle.

filling(def 5).

Origin of pick

variant of pitch¹

Example sentences from the Web for picking

A fire that he insists is only picking up pace, according to top-secret intelligence briefings.

ISIS Fight Has a Spy Shortage, Intel Chair Says |Kimberly Dozier |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The truth is that Judd is really just picking an arbitrary number since there is no script.

Inside Sony’s ‘Pineapple Express 2 Drama’: Leaked Emails Reveal Fight Over Stoner Comedy Sequel |William Boot |December 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Picking up cans and bags out of the bin and throwing them back, over and over.

The Stacks: A Chicken Dinner That Mends Your Heart |Pete Dexter |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And they all agreed Blanc was undeniably good at picking up women.

The Secret World of Pickup Artist Julien Blanc |Brandy Zadrozny |December 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Picking at an appetizer veggie platter is a good option as well.

12 Thanksgiving Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work |DailyBurn |November 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
"Bar," said the Serbian stove-tender very quietly, picking up a specially curved one, and McLanahan took the other end.

Steel |Charles Rumford Walker
They do not, however, keep more than twelve hours after picking, and then begin to ferment and taste like beer.

The Khedive's Country |George Manville Fenn
So, first picking out a tree to go up in case of necessity, I knelt down and fired into the bunch, getting one.

The Trail of The Badger |Sidford F. Hamp
"Yes, ma'am," sighed Nancy, picking up the half-dried pitcher—now so cold it must be rinsed again.

Pollyanna |Eleanor H. Porter
So he again ascended into the tree-top, and finished his shaking in peace, and we our picking also.

Pastoral Days |William Hamilton Gibson

British Dictionary definitions for picking (1 of 3)

pick ¹

/ (pɪk) /

verb

to choose (something) deliberately or carefully, from or as if from a group or number; select

to pluck or gather (fruit, berries, or crops) from (a tree, bush, field, etc) to pick hops; to pick a whole bush

(tr) to clean or prepare (fruit, poultry, etc) by removing the indigestible parts

(tr) to remove loose particles from (the teeth, the nose, etc)

(esp of birds) to nibble or gather (corn, etc)

(when intr, foll by at) to nibble (at) fussily or without appetite

to separate (strands, fibres, etc), as in weaving

(tr) to provoke (an argument, fight, etc) deliberately

(tr) to steal (money or valuables) from (a person's pocket)

(tr) to open (a lock) with an instrument other than a key

to pluck the strings of (a guitar, banjo, etc)

(tr) to make (one's way) carefully on foot they picked their way through the rubble

pick and choose to select fastidiously, fussily, etc

pick someone's brains to obtain information or ideas from someone

noun

freedom or right of selection (esp in the phrase take one's pick)

a person, thing, etc, that is chosen first or preferred the pick of the bunch

the act of picking

the amount of a crop picked at one period or from one area

printing a speck of dirt or paper fibre or a blob of ink on the surface of set type or a printing plate

See also pick at, pick off, pick on, pick out, pick-up

Derived forms of pick

pickable, adjective

Word Origin for pick

C15: from earlier piken to pick, influenced by French piquer to pierce; compare Middle Low German picken, Dutch pikken

British Dictionary definitions for picking (2 of 3)

pick ²

/ (pɪk) /

noun

a tool with a handle carrying a long steel head curved and tapering to a point at one or both ends, used for loosening soil, breaking rocks, etc

any of various tools used for picking, such as an ice pick or toothpick

a plectrum

verb

(tr) to pierce, dig, or break up (a hard surface) with a pick

(tr) to form (a hole) in this way

Word Origin for pick

C14: perhaps variant of pike ²

British Dictionary definitions for picking (3 of 3)

pick ³

/ (in weaving pɪk) /

verb

(tr) to cast (a shuttle)

noun

one casting of a shuttle

a weft or filling thread

Word Origin for pick

C14: variant of pitch 1

Idioms and Phrases with picking

pick

In addition to the idioms beginning with pick

pick a bone with
pick and choose
pick apart
pick a quarrel
pick at
picked over
pick holes in
pick off
pick of the litter
pick on
pick one's way
pick out
pick over
pick someone's brain
pick to pieces
pick up
pick up on
pick up the pieces

also see:

bone to pick
slim pickings

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

picking

noun

Origin of picking

Words nearby picking

Definition for picking (2 of 3)

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of pick

SYNONYMS FOR pick

synonym study for pick

OTHER WORDS FROM pick

Definition for picking (3 of 3)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of pick

Example sentences from the Web for picking

British Dictionary definitions for picking (1 of 3)

verb

noun

Derived forms of pick

Word Origin for pick

British Dictionary definitions for picking (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Word Origin for pick

British Dictionary definitions for picking (3 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for pick

Idioms and Phrases with picking

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

picking

noun

Origin of picking

Words nearby picking

Definition for picking (2 of 3)

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of pick

SYNONYMS FOR pick

synonym study for pick

OTHER WORDS FROM pick

Definition for picking (3 of 3)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of pick

Words related to picking

Example sentences from the Web for picking

British Dictionary definitions for picking (1 of 3)

verb

noun

Derived forms of pick

Word Origin for pick

British Dictionary definitions for picking (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Word Origin for pick

British Dictionary definitions for picking (3 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for pick

Idioms and Phrases with picking