Here are 30 phrasal verbs with **pick**, along with detailed explanations and examples: 1. **pick up** – **to collect someone or something or to learn something informally** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to take or grasp.” **Extended meaning:** “up” adds the sense of retrieving or collecting something or someone. • _I’ll pick you up at 7 p.m. for dinner._ (I will collect you at that time.) • _He picked up a few Spanish phrases while traveling in Mexico._ (He learned some Spanish informally.) 2. **pick out** – **to choose or select something** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to choose.” **Extended meaning:** “out” adds the sense of selecting from a group. • _She picked out a dress for the party._ (She selected a dress.) • _Can you pick out the best photo from the album?_ (Can you choose the best photo?) 3. **pick on** – **to repeatedly criticize or tease someone unfairly** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to focus on.” **Extended meaning:** “on” adds the sense of targeting someone for negative attention. • _The other kids at school always pick on him._ (They tease or bully him.) • _Don’t pick on your little brother!_ (The speaker is advising not to tease or criticize the brother.) 4. **pick up on** – **to notice or become aware of something** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to perceive.” **Extended meaning:** “up on” adds the sense of becoming aware of subtle details. • _He picked up on her nervousness during the meeting._ (He noticed her nervous behavior.) • _She quickly picked up on the key points of the presentation._ (She understood the main points quickly.) 5. **pick at** – **to eat small amounts of food without interest or to criticize someone’s actions repeatedly** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to touch or take.” **Extended meaning:** “at” adds the sense of doing something without full effort or interest. • _He just picked at his food because he wasn’t hungry._ (He ate small amounts without interest.) • _Stop picking at me for every little mistake!_ (Stop criticizing me for small things.) 6. **pick apart** – **to criticize or analyze something in detail, usually negatively** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to separate or examine.” **Extended meaning:** “apart” adds the sense of breaking something down into smaller parts to criticize. • _The critics picked apart the movie for its weak plot._ (They analyzed the movie negatively.) • _She picked apart his argument until it fell apart._ (She criticized the argument in detail.) 7. **pick up after** – **to clean or tidy up after someone** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to collect.” **Extended meaning:** “up after” adds the sense of cleaning up what someone else has left behind. • _I’m tired of picking up after the kids all day._ (The speaker is cleaning up after the children.) • _You should pick up after yourself instead of leaving a mess._ (You should clean up after yourself.) 8. **pick off** – **to remove something or target something specifically** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to select or remove.” **Extended meaning:** “off” adds the sense of removing or targeting something precisely. • _He picked off the toppings he didn’t like from his pizza._ (He removed specific toppings.) • _The sniper picked off the enemy soldiers one by one._ (The sniper targeted and shot specific soldiers.) 9. **pick over** – **to examine and choose the best from a selection** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to select.” **Extended meaning:** “over” adds the sense of carefully examining before selecting. • _She picked over the fruit to find the ripest ones._ (She examined and selected the best fruit.) • _The shoppers picked over the sale items, looking for the best deals._ (They examined the items carefully.) 10. **pick up steam** – **to gain momentum or speed** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to gather.” **Extended meaning:** “up steam” adds the sense of increasing speed or intensity. • _The project is finally picking up steam after months of slow progress._ (The project is gaining momentum.) • _The campaign picked up steam as more people joined the cause._ (The campaign gained momentum.) 11. **pick apart** – **to tear something down through criticism** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to break down.” **Extended meaning:** “apart” adds the sense of dismantling something critically. • _The coach picked apart the team’s performance after the loss._ (He criticized the team’s performance in detail.) • _She picked apart his proposal, pointing out all its flaws._ (She analyzed and criticized the proposal.) 12. **pick up where you left off** – **to resume something from the point where it was stopped** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to continue.” **Extended meaning:** “up where you left off” adds the sense of resuming from a specific point. • _After the holiday break, we’ll pick up where we left off with the project._ (They will continue from the previous point.) • _She picked up where she left off in the book after her nap._ (She resumed reading the book.) 13. **pick your way through** – **to move carefully through a difficult or crowded area** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to choose or navigate.” **Extended meaning:** “your way through” adds the sense of moving carefully through obstacles. • _We had to pick our way through the crowded streets._ (They moved carefully through the crowd.) • _He picked his way through the dense forest to find the trail._ (He navigated carefully through the forest.) 14. **pick someone’s brain** – **to ask someone for advice or information** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to extract information.” **Extended meaning:** “someone’s brain” adds the sense of gaining knowledge or ideas from someone. • _I’d like to pick your brain about this new project._ (The speaker wants to ask for advice or ideas.) • _Can I pick your brain on how to solve this issue?_ (The speaker wants advice on solving the problem.) 15. **pick up speed** – **to accelerate or move faster** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to gather or increase.” **Extended meaning:** “up speed” adds the sense of gaining momentum. • _The car picked up speed as it moved downhill._ (The car accelerated.) • _The train picked up speed once it left the station._ (The train started moving faster.) 16. **pick out from** – **to select something from a group or range** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to choose.” **Extended meaning:** “out from” adds the sense of selecting from a specific set. • _She picked out her favorite dress from the wardrobe._ (She selected her favorite dress.) • _They picked out the best candidates from the resumes._ (They chose the best applicants.) 17. **pick up on** – **to notice or become aware of something that others may not have noticed** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to perceive.” **Extended meaning:** “up on” adds the sense of detecting subtle cues. • _She quickly picked up on his change in mood._ (She noticed his mood change.) • _He picked up on the slight hesitation in her voice._ (He noticed her hesitation.) 18. **pick off** – **to shoot or remove something or someone from a group, often with precision** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to remove or target.” **Extended meaning:** “off” adds the sense of precise removal. • _The hunter picked off the ducks one by one._ (The hunter shot the ducks precisely.) • _She picked off the lint from her sweater._ (She removed small pieces of lint.) 19. **pick up the pace** – **to go faster or increase speed** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to gather.” **Extended meaning:** “up the pace” adds the sense of increasing speed or intensity. • _We need to pick up the pace if we want to finish on time._ (They need to go faster.) • _The runners picked up the pace in the final lap of the race._ (They started running faster.) 20. **pick someone up** – **to lift someone’s spirits or mood** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to lift or raise.” **Extended meaning:** “up” adds the sense of improving someone’s mood. • _Her kind words really picked me up when I was feeling down._ (Her words improved the speaker’s mood.) • _He picked her up with a funny joke._ (He made her feel better by telling a joke.) 21. **pick a fight** – **to intentionally provoke an argument or conflict** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to select or initiate.” **Extended meaning:** “a fight” adds the sense of initiating conflict. • _He’s always trying to pick a fight with his coworkers._ (He often provokes arguments.) • _Don’t pick a fight with her over something so trivial._ (Don’t start an argument.) 22. **pick through** – **to search or examine things carefully to find what you want** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to search or examine.” **Extended meaning:** “through” adds the sense of carefully sorting. • _She picked through the clothes at the thrift store, looking for bargains._ (She carefully searched for good items.) • _The archaeologists picked through the ruins for artifacts._ (They searched the ruins carefully.) 23. **pick up after someone** – **to clean or tidy up after someone else** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to collect or clean.” **Extended meaning:** “up after” adds the sense of cleaning up what someone else has left behind. • _I’m tired of picking up after my roommates._ (The speaker cleans up after the roommates’ messes.) • _Parents often have to pick up after their kids._ (Parents clean up the messes their children make.) 24. **pick at (a scab)** – **to repeatedly touch or scratch a wound or an imperfection** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to touch or remove.” **Extended meaning:** “at” adds the sense of doing it repeatedly or lightly. • _Don’t pick at your scab, or it won’t heal._ (The speaker advises not to touch the scab.) • _She kept picking at the chipped paint on the wall._ (She repeatedly scratched at the paint.) 25. **pick over something** – **to search through something carefully** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to examine or sort.” **Extended meaning:** “over” adds the sense of a detailed or thorough examination. • _She picked over the vegetables to find the freshest ones._ (She examined them carefully.) • _He picked over the pile of clothes at the sale._ (He searched carefully through the clothes.) 26. **pick apart** – **to find flaws or criticize something** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to examine.” **Extended meaning:** “apart” adds the sense of breaking something down through criticism. • _The critics picked apart the movie for its weak plot._ (They found many flaws in the movie.) • _She picked apart his argument, showing all the contradictions._ (She criticized his argument in detail.) 27. **pick up speed** – **to begin to move faster** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to gather.” **Extended meaning:** “up speed” adds the sense of increasing speed. • _The car picked up speed as it went down the hill._ (The car accelerated.) • _The runners picked up speed near the finish line._ (The runners increased their speed.) 28. **pick up the pieces** – **to recover after a difficult situation or failure** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to collect or restore.” **Extended meaning:** “the pieces” adds the sense of putting things back together after they’ve fallen apart. • _After the company’s bankruptcy, they had to pick up the pieces and start over._ (They had to recover from the failure.) • _She helped him pick up the pieces after his relationship ended._ (She helped him recover emotionally.) 29. **pick on someone** – **to criticize or tease someone unfairly or repeatedly** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to target.” **Extended meaning:** “on someone” adds the sense of directing unfair treatment toward a person. • _The other kids at school always pick on him because he’s shy._ (They repeatedly tease or bully him.) • _Stop picking on your little sister!_ (The speaker advises against teasing or bothering the sister.) 30. **pick up the slack** – **to take on someone else’s responsibilities or workload** **Base meaning:** “pick” means “to take on.” **Extended meaning:** “up the slack” adds the sense of compensating for someone else’s absence or shortcomings. • _When John was sick, his coworkers had to pick up the slack._ (They took on his work while he was absent.) • _She’s always picking up the slack when others don’t do their part._ (She handles extra work when others fail to.) These 30 phrasal verbs with **pick** cover a range of meanings, from selecting and learning to teasing and cleaning. The explanations and examples will help you understand how to use these verbs in various situations.