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Synonyms

pick up on

Idioms  

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

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.

Yet her "ultimate" test is whether the prime minister delivers for Wales – might opposition parties pick up on that potential contradiction later on Tuesday in first minister's questions?

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

Regular people now pick up on current events in a more random fashion.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2026

And kids watch that and they observe and they pick up on those signals.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026

Cohen: I want to pick up on Henry’s comments about companies’ differentiated success in implementing AI, and Rajiv’s citation of the MIT study indicating that many companies are just spending money without seeing value.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Did Ambady need to sample the entire history of a patient and doctor to pick up on that tone?

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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.