unpick
Americanverb (used with object)
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
-
unpicksimple
-
unpickssimple
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have unpickedperfect
-
has unpickedperfect
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am unpickingprogressive
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are unpickingprogressive
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is unpickingprogressive
-
have been unpickingperfect progressive
-
has been unpickingperfect progressive
Past
-
unpickedsimple
-
had unpickedperfect
-
was unpickingprogressive
-
were unpickingprogressive
-
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:
BBC Sport attempts to unpick exactly what happened during one of the World Cup's more baffling episodes.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 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
If you can understand that code, they reasoned, you can unpick the wonders of life.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025
With this he slowly began to unpick his beard, muttering to himself meanwhile and taking the greatest precautions not to drop a stitch.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
From disallowed goals, a debated penalty, Ronaldo intrigue and VAR controversy, BBC Sport unpicks a remarkable 105 minutes of drama.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
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
As the Oscars loom, Guy Lodge unpicks the “award-season machine”, looking at the cost and tactics of the promotion campaigns which are integral to Oscar success.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 7, 2020
He unpicks compelling patterns: why medical malpractice and harsher judicial rulings cluster in the afternoon; how we pay too much attention to endings; which circumstances favour synchronization in teams.
From Nature ● Jan. 15, 2018
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
The yellow peaches just reaching that delicate blend of sweet and tart will fall to the ground, unpicked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 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
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
He has been the heartbeat of Wolves' attacking threat, scoring crucial goals, linking up play and unpicking defences with moments of individual brilliance.
From BBC ● May 28, 2025
“Julie Kavanagh has done an adroit unpicking of the intricacies of the history,” John Banville writes in his review, “and her book is at once admirable for its scholarship and immensely enjoyable in its raciness.”
From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2021
It warned unpicking the current system could damage investment in new music.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2021
I knew that Lucy was up very early this morning and I wanted to see what she was doing; I found her busy unpicking what Miss Betty had done.
From Emile by Rousseau, Jean-Jacques
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.
