Synonyms

pick at

British

verb

(intr, preposition) to make criticisms of in a niggling or petty manner

"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 at Idioms

Pluck or pull at, especially with the fingers, as in She was always picking at her skirt with her nails . [1600s]
Eat sparingly and without appetite, as in He was just picking at his dinner . [Late 1500s]
Nag, badger, as in He's picking at me all day long . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1600s]

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:

pick at

Thanks to its record and growth prospects, Alibaba stock is a top pick at Jefferies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025

The Lakers didn’t have a first-round pick, but they have a second-round pick at No. 55.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025

The Broncos shut out the Kansas City Chiefs back-ups to punch their play-off ticket, while the Tennessee Titans finished bottom of the entire NFL to win the first pick at the next draft.

From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2025

Vance said Trump had weighed announcing Vance as his VP pick at the Butler rally but ultimately decided to hold off.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2024

We return to the car and pick at the remains of the picnic.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

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