as in choice
the act or process of selecting
the picking of new recruits went on for three days
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in harvesting
to catch or collect (a crop or natural resource) for human use
pick peas and beans from the garden for dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
I pick you as my partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in provoking
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
he seems to be trying to pick a fight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in nibbling
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
as in stabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
continued to pick the block of ice until she was able to extract the shrimp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of picking
Izzy Baskette, People.com, 14 Sep. 2025
As the fall season flourishes, activities like visiting a pumpkin patch, evening hayrides, apple-picking, and even jumping into leaf piles also become part of our daily rituals.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
The magnificent colors of fall foliage, apple picking and pumpkin patches on local farms and the return of high school football.
—Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Baskets will be provided for produce picking.
—Lorenza Medley, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
Despite the heat, dozens of orchards welcomed families for an afternoon of live music, apple harvesting and festivities to kick off the picking season.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Shaped like miniature stars and dots, the hydrocolloid bandages not only cover blemishes and remove the temptation for picking, but also enable the inflammation to heal faster.
—Khanh T.l. Tran, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
These colors have their place, just like sipping pumpkin spice lattes, blasting Folklore through your speakers, and going apple picking.
—Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 29 Aug. 2025
Sellers can store their inventory in the fulfillment centers, where Walmart takes care of picking, packing and shipping online orders.
—Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2025
Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Prices vary based on color and size, but shoppers will score the biggest discounts when picking them up in Portman’s exact mushroom shade.
—Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Another common trap is picking the wrong first project, jumping straight into high-stakes initiatives that require heavy integrations, while ignoring smaller wins like data extraction.
—Aleksandra Bal, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The Shondaland alums were originally going to celebrate 20 years of picking them, choosing them, and loving them during the ceremony.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
The secret to Bailey’s success, however, wasn’t in picking stocks but, rather, in picking talented money managers and training them in the Janus way.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Both are solid options in their own ways, and picking one would no doubt harm the other.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
After more than an hour on the road, the team arrived at a cluster of trailers behind a long dirt path on a grower’s property in South Haven, tight quarters where farmworkers rest after long-hour shifts picking fruit under the Michigan sun.
—David Rodriguez Muñoz, Freep.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Whether you’re getting dressed for work, going out to eat, or simply picking casual pieces for everyday outfits, long-sleeve tops are a wardrobe staple for colder seasons.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
KuiMen Autumn Harvest Festival Wreath with Faux Apples This 22-inch-wide wreath showcases an array of faux apples, berries, pomegranates, and leaves, ideal for anyone who enjoys apple picking and baking apple pies.
—Izzy Baskette, People.com, 14 Sep. 2025
As the fall season flourishes, activities like visiting a pumpkin patch, evening hayrides, apple-picking, and even jumping into leaf piles also become part of our daily rituals.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
The magnificent colors of fall foliage, apple picking and pumpkin patches on local farms and the return of high school football.
—Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Baskets will be provided for produce picking.
—Lorenza Medley, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
Despite the heat, dozens of orchards welcomed families for an afternoon of live music, apple harvesting and festivities to kick off the picking season.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Shaped like miniature stars and dots, the hydrocolloid bandages not only cover blemishes and remove the temptation for picking, but also enable the inflammation to heal faster.
—Khanh T.l. Tran, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
These colors have their place, just like sipping pumpkin spice lattes, blasting Folklore through your speakers, and going apple picking.
—Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 29 Aug. 2025
Sellers can store their inventory in the fulfillment centers, where Walmart takes care of picking, packing and shipping online orders.
—Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
But a growing number of people seem to be picking the team to finish first in the AFC West.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Prices vary based on color and size, but shoppers will score the biggest discounts when picking them up in Portman’s exact mushroom shade.
—Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Another common trap is picking the wrong first project, jumping straight into high-stakes initiatives that require heavy integrations, while ignoring smaller wins like data extraction.
—Aleksandra Bal, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The Shondaland alums were originally going to celebrate 20 years of picking them, choosing them, and loving them during the ceremony.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
The secret to Bailey’s success, however, wasn’t in picking stocks but, rather, in picking talented money managers and training them in the Janus way.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Both are solid options in their own ways, and picking one would no doubt harm the other.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
After more than an hour on the road, the team arrived at a cluster of trailers behind a long dirt path on a grower’s property in South Haven, tight quarters where farmworkers rest after long-hour shifts picking fruit under the Michigan sun.
—David Rodriguez Muñoz, Freep.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Whether you’re getting dressed for work, going out to eat, or simply picking casual pieces for everyday outfits, long-sleeve tops are a wardrobe staple for colder seasons.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picking
Noun
-
These days, the healthy beverage of choice is more likely to be a protein-and-collagen smoothie or a matcha latte whipped with some sort of non-dairy milk.—
Lorena Meouchi,
Vogue,
19 Sep. 2025
-
While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Renaud Tixier’s movement is a highly innovative micro-rotor movement that features an inertia wheel within the micro-rotor and a ‘dancer’ spring, orchestrated to optimize winding by harvesting even the smallest motion.—
Thor Svaboe,
Robb Report,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Add garlic to the garden for more than harvesting the delicious bulbs.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This evolved into a prototype chiefly engineered by Burrell Smith, selecting for its CPU the 8-bit Motorola 6809 as an upgrade from the Apple II's MOS 6502 but still keeping costs low.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
-
At the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the Reply AI Film Festival named Love at First Sight by Jacopo Reale, its Grand Prize winner, The AI Film Festival announced winners during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, selecting from over 2,500 submissions from 67 countries.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Follow Scheffler for destination stories, travel trends and thought-provoking conversations from the world of travel.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
With online newsfeeds, that meant algorithms prioritizing posts with more anger-provoking content, or posts that drive comparisons of beauty, wealth or success.—
Jenna Glover,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Reynolds argued that contemporary pop is less about innovation and more about revisiting previous decades, blurring distinct eras, and nibbling away at the present’s identity.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As Noack played, people stood overlooking the valley with wine glasses in hand or sat barefoot in the grass, nibbling on olives and cheese.—
Elena Valeriote,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement Advertisement Adolescence, a series about a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller (Cooper), who is arrested because he’s accused of stabbing a female classmate, racked up 13 Emmy nominations this year.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The homeless felon accused of stabbing a young Ukrainian commuter to death on a Charlotte light rail train comes from a household where run-ins with the law have been a way of life.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In Argentina, two have been convicted, including Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who was found guilty of fraudulent administration in 2022 and is currently under house arrest and banned from running for election; while in Guatemala, three have been convicted.—
Sofía Benavides,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The partisan map, if passed at the polls, would replace the independent commission's work for the next three elections.—
Larry Kaplow,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg publicly disagreed with former Vice President Kamala Harris’s judgment in deciding against choosing him as vice president.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The pair revisit past complications in their relationship before acting on their unbreakable connection and choosing to be together.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Picking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picking. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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