Dictionary.com

pick at

Save This Word!

verb
(intr, preposition) to make criticisms of in a niggling or petty manner
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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

How to use pick at in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with pick at

pick at

1

Pluck or pull at, especially with the fingers, as in She was always picking at her skirt with her nails. [1600s]

2

Eat sparingly and without appetite, as in He was just picking at his dinner. [Late 1500s]

3

Nag, badger, as in He's picking at me all day long. [Colloquial; second half of 1600s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK