Synonyms

pick on

British

verb

(tr, preposition) to select (someone) for something unpleasant, esp in order to bully, blame, or cause to perform a distasteful task

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pick on Idioms

Tease, bully, victimize, as in She told Mom the boys were always picking on her. [Second half of 1800s] This expression is sometimes put as pick on someone your own size, meaning “don't badger someone who is younger, smaller, or weaker than yourself but do so only to an equal.”

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.

Barron’s made Quanta Services a top stock pick on Oct.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

When the NFL draft begins on Thursday night, Commissioner Roger Goodell will hardly need to glance at an index card to know that the Raiders intended to use the first overall pick on Mendoza.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Smith-Njigba’s radar for the ball is why the Seahawks used their first-round pick on him even though they already had a star receiver in DK Metcalf.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

A Wedbush Securities analyst named the stock as a top pick on Thursday.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

“No, you don’t. You’re mean to Vonetta. You pick on her.”

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

pick on

verb

Example Sentences

Related Words