picked

¹ American  

[pikt] / pɪkt /

adjective

1. specially chosen or selected, usually for special skill.

   a crew of picked men.

2. cleared or cleaned by or as if by picking: pick.

   picked fruit.

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picked ² American  

[pik-id, pikt] / ˈpɪk ɪd, pɪkt /

adjective

Chiefly Dialect.

1. having or coming to a sharp point; peaked; pointed.

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Etymology

Origin of picked¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; pick ¹, -ed ²

Origin of picked²

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; pick ², -ed ³

Example Sentences

Penygraig's Edwards started the brighter and picked up the first couple of rounds after landing quick counter right hands and utilising the jab effectively.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“I sang unconsciously a lot. My patients always picked up on it — they’d be like, ‘Every time you come in, you’re singing.’”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Hiring picked up not just in the healthcare and social assistance sectors—which added 89,900 jobs—but also in construction and transportation and warehousing.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Investor redemptions in private-credit funds significantly picked up during the fourth quarter of last year following the bankruptcies of the auto-parts company First Brands and the subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

I picked up my own hat—the despised gray one from last year—and trailed after them, one hand clinging to the center post.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• accumulated
• collected
• concentrated
• huddled
• massed
• reunited