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.
“You can pick out the guys who should stay in the game,” said Bud Black, Venable’s longtime manager with the San Diego Padres.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“If you looked at 10 guys with normal testosterone, you would have an impossible time trying to pick out the guy with the most testosterone,” says Morgentaler.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026
The system encourages him to sleep in on Mondays and travel less on weekdays, and helps him organize his calendar and pick out gifts for friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The shortstop was a first-round draft pick out of Grand Canyon University in 2023 and played for Thousand Oaks High.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The day after my father died, we drove to a South Side funeral parlor—me, my mother, and Craig—to pick out a casket and plan a service.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
