pick out
Britishverb
-
to select for use or special consideration, illustration, etc, as from a group
-
to distinguish (an object from its surroundings), as in painting
she picked out the woodwork in white
-
to perceive or recognize (a person or thing previously obscured)
we picked out his face among the crowd
-
to distinguish (sense or meaning) from or as if from a mass of detail or complication
-
to play (a tune) tentatively, by or as if by ear
-
Choose, select, as in She picked out the best piece of fabric . [Early 1500s]
-
Distinguish, discern from one's surroundings, as in They managed to pick out their mother from the crowd . [Mid-1500s]
-
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.
She also picks out presents for her cousins, including a plush bag shaped like a croissant.
“No matter what record you pick out of his career, they all sounded the same. They had that Dean Martin sound — that signature,” Egypt says.
From Los Angeles Times
Chase Infiniti arrives first and slides into the middle of the booth we’ve picked out, thinking ahead so it’ll be easier for her two “One Battle After Another” co-stars to join us.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s probably too early to start picking out new names, but the next stage of the AI race is taking shape and it’s happening in the real world.
From Barron's
The Spaniard was picked out perfectly by Ben White's cross and powered in his 11th goal of the season for club and country.
From Barron's
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.
