picking
Americannoun
-
pickings
plural
-
the act of a person or thing that picks.
-
something that is or may be picked or picked up.
-
the amount picked.
-
pickings,
-
scraps or gleanings.
the pickings of a feast.
-
profits or gains; spoils.
-
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of picking
before 900; Middle English; Old English picung (once) a mark made by picking; see pick 1, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If no one is actively picking stocks and setting prices, it’s like there’s no one driving the bus.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
States are picking new zones for investments that start next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Saunders explains Carney's response aims to "minimise the impact on Canadian households as much as possible by picking very fungible goods".
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Snead now viewed himself less as a pure talent scout and more as a value investor who just happened to be in the business of picking NFL stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Churro rode like a king in a palanquin in the kayak as Patience and Natalie carried it between them, picking their way through downed trees and overturned cars and unidentifiable debris.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Holly: Losing Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez in this transfer window leaves slim pickings in terms of a talisman at Fulham, with remaining striker Rodrigo Muniz among their most expensive assets.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
And while the U.S. ended up with the lion’s share of the matches, Canada was left with slim pickings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
A hunk of romaine was easy pickings for Porkchop and her three flippers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
Squirrels should be smart enough to take the easy pickings over the puzzle box.
From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2026
The harvest was in and the pickings were good for quick hands and feet.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
