0 past simple and past participle of pick
1 to take some things and leave others:
[ + obj + to infinitive ] She was picked to play for the team.
The police asked him if he could pick (out) the killer from a series of photos.
The fairest way to decide the winner is to pick a name out of a hat/at random (= without looking or choosing).
They picked their way (= carefully chose a route) down the broken steps.
He's brilliant at picking winners (= choosing what will be successful).
The richest universities can pick and choose which students they take.
2 to remove separate things or small pieces from something, especially with the fingers:
The child continued picking (at) a sore on his leg (= trying to remove parts of it with his fingers).
[ + obj + adj ] The carcass had been picked clean (= all the flesh had been removed) by other animals and birds.
disapproving He kept picking his nose (= removing mucus from it with his finger).
They were picking strawberries for twelve hours a day.
3 When you pick a string on a guitar or similar instrument, you pull it quickly and release it suddenly with your fingers to produce a note.
I asked him which pastry he wanted and he picked an almond croissant.
Of all the gorgeous clothes in the shop she picked a really plain grey sweater.
Do you want to help me pick some numbers for my lottery ticket.
You ought to pick those lettuces before they shrivel and die.
He thought we'd been picking his apples and came after us with a stick.
