pick out
Britishverb
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to select for use or special consideration, illustration, etc, as from a group
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to distinguish (an object from its surroundings), as in painting
she picked out the woodwork in white
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to perceive or recognize (a person or thing previously obscured)
we picked out his face among the crowd
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to distinguish (sense or meaning) from or as if from a mass of detail or complication
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to play (a tune) tentatively, by or as if by ear
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Choose, select, as in She picked out the best piece of fabric . [Early 1500s]
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Distinguish, discern from one's surroundings, as in They managed to pick out their mother from the crowd . [Mid-1500s]
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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.
"Using seismic waves from earthquakes, we can create a slice-through image of the lithosphere, much like a sonar can pick out features on the seabed," said Professor Sergei Lebedev, a geophysicist involved in the study.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
They also invariably pick out the figures which best suit their arguments.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
It's not a game England fans remember too fondly, but can you pick out the players who started the match?
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
“This team is ready to go,” said McDuffie, a first-round pick out of Washington who starred in high school at Anaheim Servite and Bellflower St. John Bosco highs.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
They followed her into the women’s coat section and helped her pick out a simple navy peacoat.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
