picked

7 definitions • 21 examples

past simple and past participle of

to take some things and leave others:

Pick a card from the pack.

be picked for One of my sisters has been picked for the Olympic team.

[ + obj + to infinitive ] She was picked to play for the team.

The committee will pick the successful candidate from a short list of four.

pick someone out The police asked him if he could pick out the killer from a series of photos.

pick something out of a hat The fairest way to decide the winner is to pick a name out of a hat (= without looking or choosing).

be picked at random The winning lottery numbers will be picked at random (= without choosing).

pick your way They picked their way (= carefully chose a route) down the broken steps.

pick a winner He's brilliant at picking winners (= choosing what will be successful).

to take some things but not others:

The richest universities can pick and choose which students they take.

to remove separate things or small pieces from something, especially with the fingers:

pick something off something I picked a piece of fluff off my shiny black suit.

The doctor used a probe to pick the wax out of my ear.

pick at The child continued picking at a sore on his leg (= trying to remove parts of it with his fingers).

pick your nose He kept picking his nose (= removing mucus from it with his finger).

When you pick flowers or fruit, you take them off a plant or tree:

They were picking strawberries for twelve hours a day.

I picked some roses this morning.

pick something from something Machines pick the fruit from the trees.

pick something off something We picked some elderberries off a branch.

to remove meat from the bones of a bird or animal :

In the kitchen Maya was laboriously picking chickens.

I store the meat, and throw the picked carcass, skin, etc. into the pot with water and some vegetables.

[ + obj + adj ] The carcass had been picked clean (= all the flesh had been removed) by other animals and birds.

When you pick a string on a guitar or similar instrument, you pull it quickly and release it suddenly with your fingers to produce a note.