The word ‘pick‘ can mean many different things. As a verb, the meaning is to choose or remove.
For example:
- You have to pick either Joe or David. (choose)
- I love picking flowers. (remove)
Pick is a regular verb. The past tense and past participle is picked.
phrasal verbs with pick
Phrasal verbs with ‘pick’ include:
- pick apart
meaning – criticise/find faults with something
example – Stop picking apart my food! Cook your own dinner if you don’t like it. - pick at
meaning – scrape with your fingers, constantly criticise or eat very little
example – If you keep picking at that scab, it will never heal. - pick off
meaning – remove individuals from a group or pull something off a surface
example – Who has picked all the icing off the cake? - pick on
meaning – be nasty to someone
example – I was picked on when I was a child, now I’m handsome and successful. Who is laughing now? - pick out
meaning – select from many options
example – I picked out a nice blue dress to wear with my new boots.
pick through
meaning – look for something amongst a lot of things/ a mess
example – The investigators are picking through the wreckage for clues. - pick up
meaning – improve, collect, or lift from the floor
example – Sales have picked up this month, I may have to hire more staff. - pick up after
meaning – clean someone else’s mess
example – I’ve picked up after the kids all weekend, I deserve wine. - pick up on
meaning – notice something
example – My boyfriend picked up on my bad mood and bought me my favourite chocolates.
picture examples
Let’s learn the meaning of the phrasal verbs that contain the verb ‘pick’ in more detail and see some examples in use.
