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• pick-up
  pick-up

  noun

  the light balanced arm of a record player that carries the wires from the cartridge to the preamplifier
• pick up
  pick up

  Lift, take up by hand, as in Please pick up that book from the floor . [Early 1300s]

pick-up

British  

noun

1. Also called: pick-up arm, tone arm. the light balanced arm of a record player that carries the wires from the cartridge to the preamplifier

2. an electromagnetic transducer that converts the vibrations of the steel strings of an electric guitar or other amplified instrument into electric signals

3. another name for cartridge

4. Also called: pick-up truck. a small truck with an open body and low sides, used for light deliveries

5. informal an ability to accelerate rapidly

   this car has good pick-up

6. informal a casual acquaintance, usually one made with sexual intentions

7. informal

   1. a stop to collect passengers, goods, etc

   2. the people or things collected

8. slang a free ride in a motor vehicle

9. informal an improvement

10. slang a pick-me-up

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adjective

1. organized, arranged, or assembled hastily and without planning

   a pick-up band

   pick-up games

verb

1. (tr) to gather up in the hand or hands

2. (tr) to acquire, obtain, or purchase casually, incidentally, etc

3. (tr) to catch (a disease)

   she picked up a bad cold during the weekend

4. (intr) to improve in health, condition, activity, etc

   the market began to pick up

5. (reflexive) to raise (oneself) after a fall or setback

6. (tr) to notice or sense

   she picked up a change in his attitude

7. to resume where one left off; return to

   we'll pick up after lunch

   they picked up the discussion

8. (tr) to learn gradually or as one goes along

9. (tr) to take responsibility for paying (a bill)

   he picked up the bill for dinner

10. informal (tr) to reprimand

    he picked her up on her table manners

11. (tr) to collect or give a lift to (passengers, hitchhikers, goods, etc)

12. informal (tr) to become acquainted with, esp with a view to having sexual relations

13. informal (tr) to arrest

14. to increase (speed)

    the cars picked up down the straight

15. (tr) to receive (electrical signals, a radio signal, sounds, etc), as for transmission or amplification

16. to restore a situation to normality after a crisis or collapse

pick up Idioms  

1. Lift, take up by hand, as in Please pick up that book from the floor . [Early 1300s]

2. Collect or gather, as in First they had to pick up the pieces of broken glass .

3. Tidy, put in order, as in Let's pick up the bedroom , or I'm always picking up after Pat . [Mid-1800s]

4. Take on passengers or freight, as in The bus picks up commuters at three stops .

5. Acquire casually, get without great effort or by accident. For example, I picked up a nice coat at the sale , or She had no trouble picking up French . This usage is even extended to contracting diseases, as in I think I picked up the baby's cold . [Early 1500s]

6. Claim, as in He picked up his laundry every Friday .

7. Buy, as in Please pick up some wine at the store on your way home .

8. . Accept a charge in order to pay it, as in They always wait for us to pick up the tab . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]

9. Increase speed or rate, as in The plane picked up speed , or The conductor told the strings to pick up the tempo .

10. Gain, as in They picked up five yards on that pass play .

11. Take into custody, apprehend, as in The police picked him up for burglary . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1800s]

12. Make a casual acquaintance with, especially in anticipation of sexual relations, as in A stranger tried to pick her up at the bus station . [ Slang ; late 1800s]

13. Come upon, find, detect, as in The dog picked up the scent , or They picked up two submarines on sonar , or I can't pick up that station on the car radio .

14. Resume, as in Let's pick up the conversation after lunch .

15. Improve or cause to improve in condition or activity, as in Sales picked up last fall , or He picked up quickly after he got home from the hospital , or A cup of coffee will pick you up . [1700s]

16. Gather one's belongings, as in She just picked up and left him .

17. pick oneself up . Recover from a fall or other mishap, as in Jim picked himself up and stood there waiting . [Mid-1800s] Also see the subsequent entries beginning with pick up .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pick-up pick up

Crane operators maneuvered twisted I-beams as if playing pick-up sticks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

“I played soccer, pick-up basketball, baseball. I actually credit my success in sports keeping it fun. I go to the park to throw a football with my friends, then go play hoops in some backyard.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Ozon is Russia's second-largest online marketplace, with its pick-up points and delivery boxes ubiquitous across the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

One person sits in concentrated silence at each window, another perched in the back of the pick-up truck, ducking for the occasional limb branching from trees which rise around us.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

It was the size of a pick-up truck, with silver claws and golden glittering fur.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

Everything you need to know about the Chargers as they look to pick up their first win of the season against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Sometimes, it’s better to pick up a good book.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

The ports are considering paying truckers $60 each time they pick up or drop off containers with a zero-emission vehicle, up to a maximum $36,000 per truck per year, over the next three years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It will not be the last time we see how hard it is to pick up all the pieces.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

Miss Mathis told me, “If you’ll make up a bill of sale, I’ll send someone over to deliver the payment and to pick up the pieces.”

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• acquire
• buy
• gain
• gather
• get
• have
• learn
• purchase
• score
• take