Pick out meaning
Pick out means to choose one person or thing from a group. It can also mean to see and recognise someone or something among many others.
pick something out
pick out · picked · picking
She picked out a blue dress for the wedding.
Pick out meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Choose one person or thing from a group
pick something out
- She picked out a blue dress for the wedding.
- Can you help me pick out a gift for Dad?
- There were so many puppies. How did you pick one out?
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2
See and recognise someone or something among many others
pick somebody out
- I picked my sister out in the crowd by her red hat.
- Can you pick out the teacher in this old photo?
- The witness couldn’t pick out the thief.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use pick out in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is pick out separable?
Pick out is separable: pick out a shirt, pick a shirt out. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: pick it out, pick her out.
Pick out often comes with for and from: She picked out a card for her mum from the shelf.
Verb tenses for pick out
| Present | I pick out · she picks out |
|---|---|
| Past | picked out |
| Present perfect | have picked out |
| -ing form | picking out |
Common mistakes with pick out
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I couldn’t decide, so my friend picked out for me a jacket.
Right: I couldn’t decide, so my friend picked out a jacket for me.
Put the thing straight after pick out, then for and the person.
Wrong: Can you pick out me in this old photo?
Right: Can you pick me out in this old photo?
A pronoun goes between pick and out.
Wrong: I picked up a nice shirt from twenty in the shop.
Right: I picked out a nice shirt from twenty in the shop.
Pick out means choose. Pick up means lift or collect.
Synonyms and opposites of pick out
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- choosethe general word; pick out stresses one from many
- single outchoose one person for special praise or blame
- pick uplift or collect something, not choose it
Opposite
- leave outnot include someone or something
- turn downsay no to something you were offered
Pick out quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1There are fifty colours. Which one did you ___ for the kitchen?
Pick out means choose one from many.
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2Choose the right sentence.
A pronoun goes between pick and out.
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3“I could pick you out in any crowd.” What does this mean?
Here pick out means recognise someone among many others.
More phrasal verbs with pick
3 phrasal verbs start with pick. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Pick out FAQ
Questions people ask about pick out.
Pick out vs pick up: what is the difference?
Pick out is about choosing. Pick up is about lifting or collecting. In a shop you pick out a jacket, then you pick it up after it is fixed.
Pick out vs choose: are they the same?
Very close. Pick out is more informal and is used when there are many things to look at: She picked out three books from the pile.
What does pick out a tune mean?
It means play music slowly, one note at a time, often without written music. He picked out a song on the piano.
Use pick out in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.