Synonyms

picking

American

[pik-ing] / ˈpɪk ɪŋ /

noun

the act of a person or thing that picks.
something that is or may be picked or picked up.
the amount picked.
pickings,
1. scraps or gleanings.
  
  the pickings of a feast.
2. profits or gains; spoils.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

pickings

plural

Etymology

Origin of picking

before 900; Middle English; Old English picung (once) a mark made by picking; see pick ¹, -ing ¹

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.

But anyone mistakenly picking food supplier Sysco near the peak laughed all the way to the bank as it trounced the internet darling’s stock performance for years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

Their hypothetical portfolio performed extremely well — producing risk-adjusted performance superior to virtually all other stock picking strategies that have previously enjoyed academic seals of approval.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 4, 2026

So right now in government, officials are "rushing around picking up every little hint and tidbit on areas that might affect their department", in the words of one former senior figure.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

He has also noticed his son picking up on the English subtitles on animé TV shows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

We’ve practically linked arms, picking one another up whenever one trips or falls behind.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023