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Synonyms

pick and choose

Idioms  

  1. Select with great care, as in John and Kate loved to go to the pastry shop, especially if they had time to pick and choose. Despite its redundancy (pick and choose are synonyms), this phrase has survived since the 1400s.

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.

“Unlike many bands who pick and choose who they want to be, who are created around a leader, we were not created around the leader,” she explains.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Instead, pick and choose your paid museums and balance with the many free ones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

There is now a wide range of publicly available prices that allow consumers to pick and choose, with the caveat that they are paying out of pocket.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 5, 2026

Williamson relinquished the captaincy in both white ball formats when signing a "casual" contract with NZ Cricket, allowing him to pick and choose his availability.

From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025

Still, he thought, this was no time to pick and choose.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

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.