pick up on

1. Become aware of, notice, as in The teacher picked up on her nervousness right away. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

“Kids pick up on all of that. They may not understand the details, but they absolutely understand that the adults are afraid and things aren’t safe,” Dreyden said.

Read more on Salon

They pick up on the specific words as proof their team has been wronged.

Read more on BBC

I get logically why he had to concede it, but I wish more in the media would pick up on the fact that he did utter that, and that should be one of the scariest things coming out of this litigation.

Read more on Slate

The Soviet agent who’d read the listing had failed to pick up on that important detail.

Read more on Literature

“When they realize something is wrong, when they decide to do something about it and what they do — that’s what audiences can pick up on most.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• catch 
• come upon 
• design 
• detect 
• determine 
• devise 
• disclose 
• explore 
• hear 
• identify 
• invent 
• learn 
• locate 
• notice 
• observe 
• realize 
• recognize 
• reveal 
• see 
• spot