picked 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpikt How to pronounce picked (audio)
Definition of pickednext
as in selected
singled out from a number or group as more to one's liking a picked group of people for the project

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

picked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pick
1
as in harvested
to catch or collect (a crop or natural resource) for human use pick peas and beans from the garden for dinner

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chose
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities I pick you as my partner

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3
as in provoked
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being he seems to be trying to pick a fight

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in stabbed
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object continued to pick the block of ice until she was able to extract the shrimp

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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 picked
Verb
Paul picked three wickets in the 19th over to wrap up the innings. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 The effect was clear in Nevada’s 2024 Senate race, which Democrats narrowly won as nearly 5 percent of voters picked a candidate outside the two major parties. — semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026 In 2024, Saks canceled the show to cut costs, but the event was picked back up last year. — David Moin, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 Henderson picked it up and sailed a throw to first, allowing the tying run to score. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 In Alaska, even though voters have almost always picked the Republican presidential nominee, their streak of independence has allowed independents and Democratic nominees to win statewide races. — Maham Javaid, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 Heintz fell out of her vehicle, and police said Royce Moser picked her up, put her in the hatch of her Jeep Cherokee and drove her to his mom's house in Beallsville. — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 The book did well, and universities picked it up for reading lists. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 And while only 26% of family offices said real estate was likely to reward shareholders over the next 12 months, nearly twice as many (51%) picked it as a rewarding investment in the two- to five-year horizon. — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picked
  1. selected
  2. harvested
  3. took
  4. provoked
  5. nibbled
  6. stabbed
  7. select
  8. gathered
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the first stage can handle different solid rocket motors for pre-selected range, speed, and performance profiles, as well as different booster types and other modular components.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The Pope Leo Village Homes initiative is underway in Bronzeville with five of the seven area homes under construction and two with selected homeowners.
    — Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of selected
Verb
  • Colossal researchers first harvested cells from a living gray wolf and made 20 edits to 14 genes, coding for the dire wolf’s white coat, larger size, more powerful jaws, cold weather metabolism, and more.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In 2017, six Irish sweet chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) were harvested from Cappoquin Estate in the southern part of Ireland.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of harvested
Verb
  • The Brewers took a 5-4 lead on Garrett Mitchell’s solo home run in the sixth inning and added an insurance run in the ninth on Hamilton’s bomb.
    — Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of took
Verb
  • Sectarian violence made religious mobilization increasingly unattractive, while foreign occupation provoked an awareness of Iraqi nationhood.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Even in a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world, the scale of the killings in such a short space of time has provoked shock.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of provoked
Verb
  • Kikuko, her appetite sluggish, nibbled the bread bit by bit from the edges, all the while furtively watching her father.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Threatened by the lack of water and nibbled by starving livestock, the trees that once formed a dense forest in the Somali region of Ethiopia are in danger, locals say.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of nibbled
Verb
  • After losing in 2024, McGinn has repeatedly raised concerns on the campaign trail about Bradley’s absence from a vote in the Senate on legislation named for the Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on Charlotte’s light rail.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
  • As seen on a surveillance video, the man walked up to the victim, grabbed him, and stabbed him multiple times before fleeing from the scene.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of stabbed
Adjective
  • John Fogerty, rising singer-songwriter Emma Ogier, and others are slated to open on select dates.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In practice, that means defaults can differ meaningfully between full-service and select-service properties within the same loyalty portfolio.
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of select
Verb
  • Most of the furniture comes from the owner’s personal collection, gathered over the course of a lifetime from visits to flea markets all over Europe.
    — Julia Wytrazek, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Dabrowski’s favorite moment came outside the livestream of the Telfar event from New York, where young Parisians gathered in a spirit of community, dressing with individuality rather than for the cameras.
    — Alex Badia, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of gathered

Phrases Containing picked

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Cite this Entry

“Picked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picked. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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