American English pronunciation

How to pronounce picked

IPA transcription: ['pɪkt]

Hear “picked” pronounced

['pɪkt]

Quality: 1.00

['pɪkt]

Quality: 1.00

['pɪkt]

Quality: 1.00

Verb

  • select carefully from a group

    “She finally picked her successor”

    “He picked his way carefully”

  • harass with constant criticism

    “Don't always pick on your little brother”

  • look for and gather

    “pick mushrooms”

    “pick flowers”

  • remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits

    “Clean the turkey”

  • hit lightly with a picking motion

  • provoke

    “pick a fight or a quarrel”

  • remove in small bits

    “pick meat from a bone”

  • pay for something

    “pick up the tab”

    “pick up the burden of high-interest mortgages”

    “foot the bill”

  • pilfer or rob

    “pick pockets”

  • pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion

    “he plucked the strings of his mandolin”

  • attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example

    “Pick open the ice”

  • eat intermittently; take small bites of

    “He pieced at the sandwich all morning”

    “She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles”

Usage examples

  • He picked up the two stones and put them back in his pouch.
  • It screened at various festivals, although it has not been picked up for distribution.
  • The boy picked up his pouch and put it with his other things.
  • He reached over and picked up a shell from the ground.
  • He picked up skateboarding at an early age because his friends skated.
  • Then he dropped his spade, picked up his jacket, and came out into the road.
  • He reached over and picked up a shell from the ground.
  • Austin picked the name with an "I" spelling rather than gypsy.
  • Oddly, he picked that season to enlist in the Navy.
  • Santini resigned as coach and Raymond Domenech was picked as his replacement.