picked 1 of 2

Definition of pickednext

picked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pick
1
2
3
4
as in nibbled
to eat reluctantly and in small bites still suffering from the shock of his wife's death, he could do no more than pick halfheartedly at his food

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5

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 picked
Verb
Youngblood picked it up, put his hand on the cover, and whispered a prayer in Latin. Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026 The Owls, who will christen Mickey Dunn Stadium this weekend, were picked to finish third by Conference USA coaches. Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026 Netflix picked it up in 2020, introducing it to a whole new generation of fans. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026 Five of those teams that won handedly were picked against here, too. Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 11 Feb. 2026 Harvey was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, while McWilliams was picked in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026 After head coach Brian Schottenheimer was hired last January, Eberflus was picked 24 hours later. Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026 Why was the Toyota Sienna picked for the job? Keith Laing, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026 The two have steadily rebuilt ties that had reached a low ebb in 2017 to 2020, when Ankara sided with Qatar in a regional dispute; the regional rift is now between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and Türkiye again appears to have picked a side. Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picked
Adjective
  • The gist, however, seems to be that extra-terrestrials make contact with a selected few, before promising to go public to the entire world — good luck dealing with the ramifications of that one, human race!
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 31 Dec. 2025
  • The selected cohort—Diamond Batiste, Ciara Boniface, Jeremy Hsing, Alejandra López and Brittany Alexia Young—were chosen from nearly 1,000 submissions, placing them at the forefront of a new chapter in cinematic storytelling.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Channing Tatum is Caine Wise, a half-wolf, half-human being who joins forces with Jupiter to save the human race from its destiny of getting harvested for a liquid that makes the galaxy’s rulers immortal.
    David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Use Neem Oil Neem oil, an organic pesticide harvested from the seeds of the neem tree, can be used to treat soft and armored scale.
    Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The refusal to be endlessly provoked.
    Joe Palaggi, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2026
  • The law provoked fraught debates in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.
    CBS News, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Orange-and-white clown fish peered from rust-red anemones; neon-green parrotfish nibbled at bubblegum-pink brain coral.
    Susan Casey, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
  • The two leopards chased each other through the leaves and even nibbled on a few.
    Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The victim was stabbed multiple times in the back as the quarrel escalated, police said.
    Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Elordi strides naturally through the film’s burning-of-Atlanta orange sunscapes and its grasslands stabbed by obsidian spikes of rock.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Edible Arrangements Save up to 25% off on select Valentine's Day gifts and get free next-day delivery on orders of $79 or more.
    Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Feb. 2026
  • The style code for the Nike Air Max 95 OG Big Bubble SP Neon Paisley Bandana is IQ0620-100and it’s expected to be released in limited quantities from select retailers.
    Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Soon a crowd gathered and helped carry Ghadimi into a nearby house.
    Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
  • On Wednesday, Betts was home in Southern California, and once again gathered a group to watch together on TV.
    Claire McNear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The protesters took a violent turn at several points during that week.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • In total, the design process took three years to complete with collaboration from several researchers and engineers.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Picked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picked. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on picked

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!