1
as in mastering
to acquire complete knowledge, understanding, or skill in he has a knack for picking up a language in a few weeks
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2
as in assembling
to bring together in one body or place pick up all of your things because we have to be off this beach before dark
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3
as in buying
to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for could you pick up some milk at the store?
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4
as in growing (in)
to gradually increase in the boat was just picking up speed when it was rammed by another boat
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5
as in lifting
to move from a lower to a higher place or position pick up your feet while I vacuum in front of the sofa
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6
as in arresting
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law police picked up the fugitive when she went out to buy food
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7
as in cleaning house
to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff I thought you said you had picked up, so why are these things still lying around the rec room?
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8
as in resuming
to begin again or return to after an interruption after the protestors were removed from the auditorium, the speaker picked up his lecture right where he had left off
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9
as in trimming
to make neat the boy's bedroom looked like it hadn't been picked up in quite a while
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of picking up Job cuts are picking up across the tech sector as companies reckon with the AI boom. —
Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026 The film has screened at more than 85 festivals across some 40 countries since its Sundance breakthrough, picking up the jury prize at the inaugural SXSW London in 2025. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026 Parents picking up or dropping off kids will have to wait in the lobby. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026 Charges say surveillance video from the day care shows the woman picking up a child and falling backward into the wall, also slamming the child's head into the wall. —Riley Moser, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 Swapped is Jordan’s first movie since picking up the Best Actor nomination for Sinners. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026 The White House has scheduled a party for Friday and you, taxpayer, will be picking up the check – in more ways than one. —Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026 Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti. —Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026 The video shows Paul hitting Mortensen, grabbing him around the neck and kicking him before picking up metal barstools and throwing them in his direction. —Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026 The film has screened at more than 85 festivals across some 40 countries since its Sundance breakthrough, picking up the jury prize at the inaugural SXSW London in 2025. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026 Parents picking up or dropping off kids will have to wait in the lobby. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026 Charges say surveillance video from the day care shows the woman picking up a child and falling backward into the wall, also slamming the child's head into the wall. —Riley Moser, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 Swapped is Jordan’s first movie since picking up the Best Actor nomination for Sinners. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026 The White House has scheduled a party for Friday and you, taxpayer, will be picking up the check – in more ways than one. —Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026 Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti. —Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026 The video shows Paul hitting Mortensen, grabbing him around the neck and kicking him before picking up metal barstools and throwing them in his direction. —Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picking up
Verb
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Outside of entertainment, mastering these issues will greatly improve humanoid robot utility in things like search and rescue, military use, industrial use, and logistics.— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
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The online apparel retailer has become a $10 billion-plus e-commerce giant by mastering the art of the supply chain.— Amanda Mull, Bloomberg, 15 Apr. 2026
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Gamble is still assembling a staff but one of her assistants will be her brother, Kenneth Davis, a former receiver at Liberty High in Bakersfield.— Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
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With every petal peeled and stem snipped, Phoebe Rupp, Maddie Cofer and Ava Sudbeck are assembling their masterpieces.— Bo Evans, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
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Many online comments said higher prices would not deter them from buying condoms to protect against pregnancy.— Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
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Institutional investors have been criticized for driving up home prices, but there is little evidence that their presence is impacting the rising costs of buying a home.— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That season ended with Dustin Brown lifting the Stanley Cup.— Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 18 Apr. 2026
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Here’s a breakdown of the Avs’ first-round series with the Kings, who have not won a playoff round since lifting the Stanley Cup in 2014.— Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
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The video shows Timothy Brown's arrest last week in Brooklyn, in which the arresting officers can be seen repeatedly punching him, and shoving him to the ground.— Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
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The raid left Charlotte’s Latin American population reeling but ICE agents kept up the pace statewide after the Border Patrol left, arresting an average of about 20 people per day in December, January and February.— Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
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The status of further peace talks and other key details of the current relationship between the warring powers have grown increasingly opaque, with Trump vacillating between resuming saber-rattling rhetoric and indicating Washington’s readiness for additional negotiations with Iran.— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
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Trump touted the project for about 90 seconds, extolling the ballroom’s features, before resuming a discussion of how to rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry and lower global energy prices.— Clara Ence Morse, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Start by trimming the tough, dry ends off the bunch and chop them into little logs.— Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Apr. 2026
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Get a hedge-and-branch trimming bundle at a huge discount.— Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McNeil-Warren would be well-served to spend a year learning how to play the safety position behind a guy like Byard.— Dan Zaksheske, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
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Here are a few more things Day enjoys learning about, listening to, and playing with her daughter.— Marah Eakin, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Picking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/picking%20up. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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