unpick
Americanverb (used with object)
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unpicks,
present (3rd person singular)
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unpicked,
past participle, past
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unpicking
present participle
verb
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to undo (the stitches) of (a piece of sewing)
-
to unravel or undo (a garment, etc)
-
obsolete to open (a door, lock, etc) by picking
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unpicksimple
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unpickssimple
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have unpickedperfect
-
has unpickedperfect
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am unpickingprogressive
-
are unpickingprogressive
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is unpickingprogressive
-
have been unpickingperfect progressive
-
has been unpickingperfect progressive
Past
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unpickedsimple
-
had unpickedperfect
-
was unpickingprogressive
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were unpickingprogressive
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had been unpickingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unpick
1350–1400 for earlier sense; 1770–80 for current sense; Middle English unpiken to pick (a lock); see un- 2, pick 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.
See Examples For:
“What I really need is a puzzle to unpick, something devilish and twisted.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
That to me is, I think, the most exciting kind of knot to unpick right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Koh warned that if the ICJ ruled the right to strike was not inherent in the Convention, companies and governments could start to unpick labour deals around the world.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
"That was the bit that we were trying to unpick, AI won't see it that way."
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
I whinged that it didn't smell of anything, but she pointed out I wasn't the one who had to hoover and unpick the needles from the carpet.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
The BBC's investigation, involving more than 25 church insiders from the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, the US, South Africa and Germany, unpicks six ways in which he tricked worshippers.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2024
How the FA unpicks a game that was overshadowed by flash points off the field is not straight-forward.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2022
Eccleston bases most of his roles on aspects of his father and he unpicks every aspect of his character, good and bad, that came from him, too.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 10, 2020
The author's latest book, Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944, unpicks Operation Market Garden, the Allies' failed plan to end World War Two by capturing the bridges leading to the Lower Rhine.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2018
A 'forensic zone' unpicks evidence for other culprits.
From Nature ● Jul. 18, 2017
Zimbabwean farmworker Aaron Majatamhe was heading home at sunset after a shift in one of South Africa's top fruit-producing regions, where bushes laden with bright unpicked citrus stood in rows.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Thousands of positions go unfilled, which means apples go unpicked and tomatoes rot in fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
But the Surge’s bylaws are clear that no nit be left unpicked, and so we have to quibble with his framing.
From Slate ● Jan. 17, 2026
But writing the changes into a full Act of Parliament was meant to prevent the new rights being easily unpicked by a future government.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
Yellow snippets of stitching, unpicked from around the sole, to form the delicate threads of its heart.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Turmoil in bond markets is unpicking the improvements in affordability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
That has now unravelled with what began as a blog a couple of years ago escalating in recent weeks, with more journalists unpicking aspects of Arday's life story and asking questions.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The Wolves retook the lead eight minutes later, Jeanuel Belocian unpicking the Leipzig defence with a simple pass for Svanberg to score.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
Cunha was the heartbeat of Wolves' attacking threat in the past two seasons, scoring crucial goals, linking up play and unpicking defences with moments of brilliance.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2025
Theo sat by herself, unpicking a coloured lining from a black grenadine dress, with an expression of tragic despair.
From The Daughters of a Genius by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
