pick
To choose something from a group of options.
The word pick has several meanings:
- To choose or select something. When you pick a book from the library shelf, you're deciding which one you want to read. A team captain picks players for their side. Your mom might let you pick what's for dinner on your birthday. The choice can be quick (picking a crayon) or careful (picking a college years from now).
- To gather or harvest something, usually by pulling it from a plant. Farmers pick apples from trees and strawberries from their low plants. You might pick wildflowers in a field. People say you shouldn't pick fruit before it's ripe, meaning you shouldn't take action before the time is right.
- To use your fingers to remove or pull at something. Kids sometimes pick at scabs. A guitarist picks the strings of their instrument with a small piece of plastic, also called a pick.
- To provoke or start something deliberately. When someone picks a fight, they're intentionally trying to start an argument. If you pick on someone, you're repeatedly bothering or bullying them. A pickpocket is a thief who steals from people's pockets without them noticing.