- pick
- Iv1. choose, select, handpick, pick out, single out; decide upon, determine upon, settle upon, fix upon; make up one's mind, make one's choice, make a selection, opt, opt for; sift, sift out, sieve out, screen, screen out, sort, sort out, separate the sheep from the goats, separate the wheat from the chaff; show preference, prefer, favor; discriminate, distinguish, differentiate; choose sides, accept, embrace, espouse, affiliate, Inf. make one's bed; elect, vote in, place in office; adopt, approve, ratify, nominate, name, designate.2. gather, harvest, collect, garner, reap, mow, cut; pluck, take in, bring in, hay; cull, glean, winnow.3. pry open, prize open, crack, break into, jimmy, force; break open, open, tap, broach.4.Usu. pick ata. nibble, Inf. peck at, eat like a bird, push one's food around the plate, show no appetite; eat lightly, Inf. snack, Inf. nosh.b. nag, nag at, hassle, bother, pester, harass.5. pick onInformal. criticize, blame, find fault; ride, needle, tease, badger, hector.6. pick offInformal. shoot, shoot down, fire on or at; strike, hit, Sl. plug, Sl. drill; gun down, fell, drop.7. pick outa. choose, select. See pick(def. 1).b. distinguish, perceive, notice, recognize, sight; discern, discriminate, make a distinction, distinguish between; tell apart, tell one thing from another, know which is which.c. excise, exclude, except, eliminate, get rid of, dispose of, remove.8. pick upa. lift, take up, raise, raise up, elevate, hoist, heft, heave.b. recover, recoup, get better, improve, mend, perk up, Inf. shape up; advance, progress, make progress, make headway, gain, gain ground; recover, rally, make a comeback.c.Slang. find, purchase, obtain, buy; locate by chance, come across, stumble over, dig up.d. obtain casually, earn, make, Inf. pull down, win, net, bag, come by, Inf. glom.e. accelerate, speed up, liven up, move along.f. take [s.o.] along, give [s.o.] a ride or lift; get, go to get, go for or after, call for.g. strike up an acquaintance with, introduce oneself to, meet casually; encounter, run across, fall in with, take up with.h.Slang. take into custody, arrest, apprehend, nab, Inf. collar, Inf. net, Sl. bust, Sl. pinch.i. tidy, tidy up, clean up, neaten, straighten up or out, put in order, Inf. spruce up.n9. choice, selection; option, preference, pleasure, Dial. druthers, dibs.10. best, choice, prize, nonpareil, nonesuch, pick of the crop or litter, cream of the crop; the best, the cream, Fr. creme de la creme; prime, flower; Inf. humdinger, Inf. jimdandy, Inf. dilly; elect, chosen, winner, champion, Inf. the tops.IIn1. pickax, mattock, grub ax, adz, hewer, chopper, cutter, cutting tool, chopping tool, entrenching tool; trowel.2. icepick, toothpick.3. plectrum.
A Note on the Style of the synonym finder. 2014.