picker

American  

[pik-er] / ˈpɪk ər /

noun

• pickers
  plural

1. someone or something that picks.

2. a special tool or machine for picking fruit, vegetables, etc., from their plants.

3. a machine that picks fibers.

4. a person who gathers fruit, flowers, etc.

5. Slang. a player of a stringed instrument, especially a banjo.

6. Metallurgy. a pointed rod for removing a pattern from a half mold.

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picker British  

/ ˈpɪkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that picks, esp that gathers fruit, crops, etc

2. (in weaving) a person or the part of the loom that casts the shuttle

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pickers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of picker

First recorded in 1520–30; pick ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

picker pickers

Daniel Barbou, an 84-year-old grape picker, joined a small army of laborers in the scramble to harvest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Ashmore, who has completed numerous murals for businesses, said he had always intended to hire a cherry picker to finish the job, but would not be pressured into "rushing" it.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Does it still pay to be a good stock picker?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

AI cannot make you a better stock picker.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

What was Beverly Tapinski—the safecracker, the lock picker, the gravel beater—doing sitting on Alice Nebbley’s bed, holding her hand, telling her it would be okay, and humming to her?

From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo

You need some active stock pickers to buy and sell a stock before you can claim, as index-fund supporters, that the current price perfectly reflects all known information about the stock.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Stock pickers almost never beat the market over time.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

Few events have the potential to create as much wealth and liquidity for venture capitalists and stock pickers as SpaceX’s listing, which advanced on Wednesday with the unveiling of its investor prospectus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

“Sad news,” orchard owner Gary Shafer said on an outgoing voicemail he left for would-be pickers.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

She picked deftly and had a reputation for speed and efficiency; she filled two flats in the time it took other pickers to fill one and a half.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson