as in to select
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
handpicked what she considered to be the cutest kitten from the litter
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Recent Examples of handpick
Appointments allow current leaders to handpick successors who will uphold their agendas and that of their donors, bypassing the scrutiny of a public vote.
—
Hiram Soto, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
There’s no gender gap at highly selective private colleges where schools handpick 50/50 classes; at the highest rungs, men appear to be holding their own.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
On farms, native workers might be supervisors or run high-tech equipment while immigrants handpick crops, Clemens said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2024
July 31, 2024 The man who handpicks your nightmares
July 30, 2024
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Book Club
Our weekly selection of book reviews and recommendations from Book World editor Ron Charles.
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for handpick
Hiram Soto, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
There’s no gender gap at highly selective private colleges where schools handpick 50/50 classes; at the highest rungs, men appear to be holding their own.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
On farms, native workers might be supervisors or run high-tech equipment while immigrants handpick crops, Clemens said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2024
July 31, 2024 The man who handpicks your nightmares
July 30, 2024
NewsletterFridays
Book Club
Our weekly selection of book reviews and recommendations from Book World editor Ron Charles.
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for handpick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handpick
Verb
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Elle Fanning Elle Fanning selects another timeless look, this one by Givenchy.—
Erin Jensen,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
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The Sox selected him in the seventh round in the 2023 draft.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With endless options to choose from, there’s no better place to kick off your spring denim journey than here.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
28 Feb. 2025
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For all the doubt that antivaccine advocates, including RFK, Jr., have sowed around childhood immunizations, for all the political proclamations of conscientious objection and the freedom to choose, this child did not have a choice.—
Megha Satyanarayana,
Scientific American,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In picking Bongino for the FBI deputy director job, Trump again is emphasizing loyalty and MAGA credentials over experience.—
Zac Anderson,
USA TODAY,
26 Feb. 2025
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The same goes for other retailers, such as Macy’s , that continue to close stores , which leads to both merchandise for TJX buyers to pick at and real estate opportunities to add new stores or relocate to better locations.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handpick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handpick. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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