pick out
Britishverb
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to select for use or special consideration, illustration, etc, as from a group
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to distinguish (an object from its surroundings), as in painting
she picked out the woodwork in white
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to perceive or recognize (a person or thing previously obscured)
we picked out his face among the crowd
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to distinguish (sense or meaning) from or as if from a mass of detail or complication
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to play (a tune) tentatively, by or as if by ear
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Choose, select, as in She picked out the best piece of fabric . [Early 1500s]
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Distinguish, discern from one's surroundings, as in They managed to pick out their mother from the crowd . [Mid-1500s]
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Identify the notes of a tune and play it on an instrument, as in When she was four she could pick out folk songs on the piano . [Late 1800s]
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.
English accents were difficult to pick out around the fight venue and whatever travelling support he did have was comprehensively drowned out by Garcia's largely Mexican-American following.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
“If you looked at 10 guys with normal testosterone, you would have an impossible time trying to pick out the guy with the most testosterone,” says Morgentaler.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026
“How many people could name King George VI’s four brothers or his sister? How many people under 30 could pick out Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, or Prince Edward, in a lineup?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The system encourages him to sleep in on Mondays and travel less on weekdays, and helps him organize his calendar and pick out gifts for friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
As we ate, I felt the dampness from the grass seep through the seat of my light blue pants, the ones Audrey had helped me pick out when we’d gone shopping.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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.
