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Synonyms

picked

1 American  
[pikt] / pɪkt /

adjective

  1. specially chosen or selected, usually for special skill.

    a crew of picked men.

  2. cleared or cleaned by or as if by picking.

    picked fruit.
picked 2 American  
[pik-id, pikt] / ˈpɪk ɪd, pɪkt /

adjective

Chiefly Dialect.

  1. having or coming to a sharp point; peaked; pointed.

Etymology

Origin of picked1

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; pick 1, -ed 2

Origin of picked2

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; pick 2, -ed 3

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.

China's economic growth likely picked up in the first three months of the year, according to analysts surveyed by AFP, boosted by exports now impacted by the Middle East war, while domestic demand remains weak.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Even in the EFL, which does not have VAR, Ipswich's Leif Davis was recently banned after being picked up on camera pulling the hair of Leicester's Caleb Okoli.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

The growing pains were worth it, she said, because her story reached audiences who might never have picked up her books.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

It was Exeter that picked you up first, wasn't it?

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

In the middle of the clearing, near a pinewood long-fire, a group of women sat on willow-branch mats, talking quietly as they shelled hazelnuts and picked over a basket of juniper berries.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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.