pick out
Britishverb
-
to select for use or special consideration, illustration, etc, as from a group
-
to distinguish (an object from its surroundings), as in painting
she picked out the woodwork in white
-
to perceive or recognize (a person or thing previously obscured)
we picked out his face among the crowd
-
to distinguish (sense or meaning) from or as if from a mass of detail or complication
-
to play (a tune) tentatively, by or as if by ear
-
Choose, select, as in She picked out the best piece of fabric . [Early 1500s]
-
Distinguish, discern from one's surroundings, as in They managed to pick out their mother from the crowd . [Mid-1500s]
-
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
Venus and Jupiter, meanwhile, are among the brightest objects in our night sky and should be much easier to pick out.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Johnson was a third-round pick out of Iowa, where he led the Big Ten with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
I stand in the middle of Target, pushing the cart while Oak and Vivi pick out bedsheets and lunch boxes, skinny jeans and sandals.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
