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Definition of pick noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pick

noun
 
 
/pɪk/
 
/pɪk/
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  1.  
     [singular] (rather informal) an act of choosing something
    • Take your pick (= choose).
    • The winner gets first pick of the prizes.
    see also draft pick (1)
    Extra Examples
    • Which do you want? Take your pick.
    • Red or green? Take your pick.
    • She had her pick of the young single men at the party.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + pick
    • have
    • take
    phrases
    • get first pick
    • take first pick
    See full entry
  2. [countable] (informal) a person or thing that is chosen
    • She was his pick for best actress.
    Synonyms choicechoicefavourite ▪ preference ▪ selection ▪ pickThese are all words for a person or thing that is chosen, or that is liked more than others.choice a person or thing that is chosen:
    • She’s the obvious choice for the job.
    favourite/​favorite a person or thing that you like more than the others of the same type:
    • Which one’s your favourite?
    preference a thing that is liked better or best:
    • Tastes and preferences vary from individual to individual.
     favourite or preference?Your favourites are the things you like best, and that you have, do, listen to, etc. often; your preferences are the things that you would rather have or do if you can choose.selection a number of people or things that have been chosen from a larger group:
    • A selection of reader’s comments are published below.
    pick (rather informal) a person or thing that is chosen:
    • She was his pick for best actress.
    Patterns
    • somebody’s choice/​favourite/​pick for something
    • somebody’s choice/​selection/​pick as something
    • an obvious choice/​favourite/​selection
    • a(n) excellent/​good/​popular/​fine choice/​selection
    see also draft pick (2)
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + pick
    • have
    • take
    phrases
    • get first pick
    • take first pick
    See full entry
  3. [singular] the pick of something (rather informal) the best thing or things in a group
    • We're reviewing the pick of this month's new books.
    • I think we got the pick of the bunch (= the best in the group).
  4. (also pickaxe, North American English also pickax)
     [countable] a large heavy tool that has a curved metal bar with sharp ends fixed at the centre to a wooden handle. It is used for breaking rocks or hard ground.
    • picks and shovels
  5. [countable] (informal) a plectrum (= a small piece of metal, plastic, etc. used for plucking the strings of a guitar or similar instrument)Topics Musicc2
    6. see also ice pick, toothpick
    Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 Middle English (earlier as pike, which continues in dialect use): of unknown origin. Compare with Dutch pikken ‘pick, peck’, and German picken ‘peck, puncture’, also with French piquer ‘to prick’. noun sense 4 Middle English: variant of pike ‘weapon’.
See pick in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: pick

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