pick
pick
Pronunciation
/pɪk/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds in the single syllable:
/p/: voiceless bilabial plosive
/ɪ/: near-front near-unrounded vowel
/k/: voiceless velar plosive
Word Form Variations
As a Verb:
Base Form: pick (e.g., I pick a flower)
Third Person Singular Present: picks (e.g., He picks a flower)
Past Tense: picked (e.g., She picked a flower)
Past Participle: picked (e.g., The flower was picked)
Present Participle/Gerund: picking (e.g., They are picking flowers; Picking flowers is fun)
As a Noun:
Singular: pick (e.g., I need a good pick for this lock; She made her pick)
Plural: picks (e.g., He has a set of guitar picks; Those were good picks for the team)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
To choose or select deliberately from a group or range of possibilities.
Example: "She had to pick the perfect dress for the event."
Synonyms: select, choose, opt for, decide on, elect
Antonyms: reject, dismiss, disregard, ignore
To gather or harvest something, often by detaching it by hand.
Example: "They spent the afternoon picking ripe berries from the bushes."
Synonyms: gather, collect, pluck, harvest, glean
Antonyms: plant, sow, scatter, discard
To remove small pieces or undesirable elements from something, often with a pointed tool or fingers.
Example: "He used a toothpick to pick a piece of food from between his teeth."
Synonyms: extract, remove, clear, clean out, dislodge
Antonyms: insert, embed, fill, clog
To play a stringed instrument by plucking or strumming the strings.
Example: "The musician began to pick a melody on his acoustic guitar."
Synonyms: pluck, strum, play (a stringed instrument)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific action)
To provoke or intentionally start (a fight or argument).
Example: "He always tries to pick a fight with his older brother."
Synonyms: provoke, instigate, initiate, incite
Antonyms: avoid, avert, settle, calm
Noun
The act or process of choosing or selecting something.
Example: "After much deliberation, her pick for the winner was announced."
Synonyms: choice, selection, option, preference, decision
Antonyms: rejection, refusal, dismissal
A tool or instrument designed for picking, plucking, or breaking things apart, especially one with a pointed end.
Example: "He used an ice pick to chip away at the frozen block."
Synonyms: tool, instrument, implement, awl, stylus, plectrum (for music)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a tool)
The best or most desirable choice or part of a group.
Example: "This car is the pick of the lot; it's in perfect condition."
Synonyms: best, prime, cream, elite, choicest
Antonyms: worst, dregs, reject, inferior
Examples of Use
Books:
"You don't get to pick and choose the parts of your life you want. The good, the bad, the ugly. They all come together." (Stephen King, Lisey's Story)
"Every man is tasked to make his life, even in its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour. If I have picked a huckleberry or a flower, I am sure that I have done it as a high priest might have done it, with sacrifice." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)
Newspapers:
"The government has to pick its battles carefully when it comes to legislative reforms." (The Guardian)
"Local farmers are encouraging volunteers to help pick excess produce to donate to food banks." (Des Moines Register)
Online Publications:
"Experts pick their top five stocks for the coming quarter amid market volatility." (Bloomberg.com)
"How to pick the right cybersecurity solution for your small business." (Forbes.com)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose." (Dialogue, The Big Lebowski)
Music: "I've been picking up the pieces / Of the life you left behind." (Lyrics, Rolling in the Deep by Adele)
Television: "Alright team, who wants to pick first for the talent show?" (Line from a reality competition show)
Video Games: "Player 1, pick your character." (On-screen prompt in numerous video games, e.g., Street Fighter, 1987 onwards)
General Public Discourse:
"Did you pick up the dry cleaning on your way home?" (Common conversational query)
"Let's pick a time next week that works for everyone to meet." (Used when scheduling)
"I need a new guitar pick; this one keeps slipping." (Informal discussion about a specific tool)
"You really know how to pick a winner!" (Compliment for someone who made a good choice)
10 Quotes Using Pick
"Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before." (Mae West)
"Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel." (Mark Twain)
"Power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up." (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
"Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed." (Charles M. Schulz)
"To help yourself, you must be yourself. Be the best that you can be. When you make a mistake, learn from it, pick yourself up and move on." (Dave Pelzer)
"If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself." (Confuciu1s)
"Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction." (John C. Crosby)
"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction." (Warren Buffett)
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." (Winston Churchill)
"The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it." (Theodore Roosevelt)
Etymology
Ah, thank you for clarifying! The term we're discussing is "pick."
The word "pick" has quite an interesting journey through language. It comes from the Old English word "pycan," which meant "to prick, to sting, to pierce." This is where we get the original sense of making a small hole or mark, or of something sharp.
Over time, its meaning broadened. By the 13th century, it started being used to mean "to pick up, gather, or collect," likely evolving from the idea of "picking at" something to separate or take it. This is where we see the connection to things like "picking berries" or "picking up litter."
Later, the idea of "choosing" or "selecting" developed, probably from the action of "picking out" one item from a group. This sense of pick as "to choose" became very common and is widely used today, as in "to pick a favorite color" or "to pick a winner."
So, its earliest roots point to a sharp action, then it moved to gathering, and finally to the act of choosing.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Pick
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using the word "pick":
Pick and choose: To select carefully from a range of possibilities, often implying a degree of fussiness.
Pick a fight: To intentionally start an argument or conflict.
Pick someone's brain: To ask someone a lot of questions to get information or ideas from them.
Pick up the tab: To pay the bill for something, especially a meal or drinks.
Pick yourself up: To recover from a difficult situation or failure.
Pick at your food: To eat very little and without enthusiasm.
Pick up on something: To notice or become aware of something.
Pick a lock: To open a lock without a key, usually with special tools.
Pick of the litter: The best or most desirable choice from a group.
Pick holes in something: To find fault with something; to find weaknesses in an argument or plan.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of pick from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
