Definition of pick

pickverb

nhặt, cuốc, vỡ, xé

/pɪk/

Definition of undefined

The word "pick" has an interesting etymology. The earliest known sense of the word "pick" dates back to the 13th century, when it referred to the act of selecting or choosing something. This sense of the word is derived from the Old English word "piccan," which meant "to point out" or "to designate." Over time, the meaning of "pick" expanded to include other senses, such as "to pluck" or "to pull" a fruit or other edible, and "to raise a small amount of something, such as a child" (as in "to pick up a stray"). The word "pick" also developed a sense of "to take a small part of something, such as a part of a conversation" (as in "to pick up on a theme"). Today, the word "pick" is used in a variety of ways, including as a verb (e.g., "I picked the apple from the tree") and as a noun (e.g., "I'll pick you up from the airport").

Summary
type danh từ
meaningsự chọn lọc, sự chọn lựa
meaningngười được chọn, cái được chọn
exampleto pick and steal: ăn cắp vặt
meaningphần chọn lọc, phần tinh hoa, phần tốt nhất
exampleto pick and choose: kén cá chọn canh
type danh từ
meaningcuốc chim
meaningdụng cụ nhọn (để đâm, xoi, xỉa, đục, giùi)
exampleto pick and steal: ăn cắp vặt
namespace

to choose somebody/something from a group of people or things

chọn ai/cái gì từ một nhóm người hoặc đồ vật

Example:
  • Pick a number from one to twenty.

    Chọn một số từ một đến hai mươi.

  • They are picking the final team this weekend.

    Họ sẽ chọn đội cuối cùng vào cuối tuần này.

  • It's time to pick a side (= decide who you support).

    Đã đến lúc chọn một bên (= quyết định bạn ủng hộ ai).

  • He picked his words carefully.

    Anh ấy chọn lời nói một cách cẩn thận.

  • At the beach we picked a spot to sit down.

    Tại bãi biển, chúng tôi chọn một chỗ để ngồi.

  • He has been picked to play in this week's game.

    Anh ấy đã được chọn để chơi trong trận đấu tuần này.

  • Have you been picked for the team?

    Bạn đã được chọn vào đội chưa?

  • It was picked as the best film in the competition.

    Nó được chọn là bộ phim hay nhất trong cuộc thi.

Extra examples:
  • Companies want to pick the best candidates for the job.

    Các công ty muốn chọn những ứng viên tốt nhất cho công việc.

  • There are so many good ones it's hard to pick a favourite.

    Có rất nhiều cái hay nên thật khó để chọn ra cái yêu thích nhất.

  • They picked Jane as the captain.

    Họ chọn Jane làm đội trưởng.

  • She picked the best cake for herself.

    Cô ấy đã chọn chiếc bánh ngon nhất cho mình.

  • Have I picked a bad time to talk to you?

    Có phải tôi đã chọn thời điểm không tốt để nói chuyện với bạn không?

Related words and phrases

to take flowers, fruit, etc. from the plant or the tree where they are growing

lấy hoa, quả, v.v. từ cây hoặc cây nơi chúng đang phát triển

Example:
  • to pick grapes/strawberries/cotton

    hái nho/dâu/bông

  • flowers freshly picked from the garden

    hoa mới hái ngoài vườn

  • The common was a great place to go blackberry picking.

    Điểm chung là một nơi tuyệt vời để đi hái dâu đen.

Extra examples:
  • They picked some flowers and arranged them into a beautiful bouquet.

    Họ hái một số bông hoa và sắp xếp chúng thành một bó hoa tuyệt đẹp.

  • freshly picked strawberries

    dâu tây mới hái

to pull or remove something or small pieces of something from something else, especially with your fingers

kéo hoặc loại bỏ một cái gì đó hoặc mảnh nhỏ của một cái gì đó từ một cái gì đó khác, đặc biệt là bằng ngón tay của bạn

Example:
  • She picked bits of fluff from his sweater.

    Cô nhặt những mẩu lông tơ từ áo len của anh.

  • He picked the nuts off the top of the cake.

    Anh ấy nhặt những hạt trên mặt bánh.

  • Names were picked at random out of a hat.

    Những cái tên được chọn ngẫu nhiên từ một chiếc mũ.

  • to pick your nose (= put your finger inside your nose to remove dried mucus)

    ngoáy mũi (= đưa ngón tay vào trong mũi để loại bỏ chất nhầy khô)

  • to pick your teeth (= use a small sharp piece of wood or plastic to remove pieces of food from your teeth)

    nhặt răng của bạn (= sử dụng một miếng gỗ hoặc nhựa nhỏ sắc nhọn để lấy những mảnh thức ăn ra khỏi răng của bạn)

  • The dogs picked the bones clean (= ate all the meat from the bones).

    Những con chó nhặt xương sạch (= ăn hết thịt từ xương).

to play a musical instrument, especially a guitar, by pulling the strings with your fingers

chơi một nhạc cụ, đặc biệt là guitar, bằng cách kéo dây bằng ngón tay

Idioms

have a bone to pick with somebody
(informal)to be angry with somebody about something and want to discuss it with them
pick and choose
to choose only those things that you like or want very much
  • You have to take any job you can get—you can't pick and choose.
  • pick somebody’s brains
    (informal)to ask somebody a lot of questions about something because they know more about the subject than you do
  • I need to pick your brains: what can you tell me about credit unions?
  • pick a fight/quarrel (with somebody)
    to deliberately start a fight or an argument with somebody
  • He had drunk too much and was ready to pick a fight with anyone who crossed his path.
  • She tried to pick a quarrel with me.
  • pick holes in something
    to find the weak points in something such as a plan, suggestion, etc.
  • It was easy to pick holes in his arguments.
  • pick a lock
    to open a lock without a key, using something such as a piece of wire
  • The burglars must have picked the lock on the back door.
  • pick somebody’s pocket
    to steal something from somebody’s pocket without them noticing
  • The back pocket on a pair of jeans is the easiest one to pick.
  • pick/pull/tear somebody/something to pieces/shreds
    (informal)to criticize somebody, or their work or ideas, very severely
    pick/pull/tear somebody/something to pieces/shreds
    (informal)to criticize somebody, or their work or ideas, very severely
  • Their case was torn to shreds by the defence lawyer.
  • pick up the bill, tab, etc. (for something)
    (informal)to pay for something
  • The company picked up the tab for his hotel room.
  • The government will continue to pick up college fees for some students.
  • pick up the pieces
    to return or to help somebody return to a normal situation, particularly after a shock or a disaster
  • You cannot live your children's lives for them; you can only be there to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.
  • pick up speed
    to go faster
  • The train began to pick up speed.
  • pick up the threads
    to return to an earlier situation or way of life after a period doing something else
    pick your way (across, along, among, over, through something)
    to walk carefully, choosing the safest, driest, etc. place to put your feet
  • She picked her way delicately over the rough ground.
  • We picked our way carefully over the jagged rocks.
  • pick a winner
    to choose a horse, etc. that you think is most likely to win a race
  • He's very good at picking winners.
  • (informal)to make a very good choice
    ripe for the picking
    offering somebody an ideal opportunity to gain an advantage
  • This is an opportunity ripe for the picking.
  • The Raiders' defense is ripe for the picking.