word-vault

{ "term": "pick", "partOfSpeech": "verb", "ox3000": true, "cefr": "a2", "verbForms": { "presentSimple": { "iYouWeThey": "pick", "heSheIt": "picks" }, "pastSimple": "picked", "pastParticiple": "picked", "ingForm": "picking" }, "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to choose somebody/something from a group of people or things", "sensetop": "pick somebody/somethingpick somebody/something to do somethingpick somebody/something for somethingpick somebody/something as something", "labels": "(rather informal)", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "Pick a number from one to twenty.", "contextForm": "pick somebody/something" }, { "text": "They are **picking the **final **team **this weekend." }, { "text": "It's time to pick a side *(= decide who you support)*." }, { "text": "He picked his words carefully." }, { "text": "At the beach we **picked a spot** to sit down." }, { "text": "He has been picked to play in this week's game.", "contextForm": "pick somebody/something to do something" }, { "text": "Have you been picked for the team?", "contextForm": "pick somebody/something for something" }, { "text": "It was picked as the best film in the competition.", "contextForm": "pick somebody/something as something" }, { "text": "Companies want to pick the best candidates for the job." }, { "text": "There are so many good ones it's hard to pick a favourite." }, { "text": "They picked Jane as the captain." }, { "text": "She picked the best cake for herself." }, { "text": "Have I picked a bad time to talk to you?" } ], "topics": ["Preferences and decisions"], "collocations": { "adverb": ["at random", "randomly", "out"], "preposition": ["as", "for"] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to take flowers, fruit, etc. from the plant or the tree where they are growing", "sensetop": "pick something", "cefr": "b1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "to pick grapes/strawberries/cotton" }, { "text": "flowers freshly picked from the garden" }, { "text": "The common was a great place to go blackberry picking." }, { "text": "They picked some flowers and arranged them into a beautiful bouquet." }, { "text": "freshly picked strawberries" } ], "topics": ["Farming"], "collocations": { "phrases": ["freshly picked"] } }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "to pull or remove something or small pieces of something from something else, especially with your fingers", "sensetop": "pick something + adv./prep.pick somethingpick something + adj.", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "She picked bits of fluff from his sweater.", "contextForm": "pick something + adv./prep." }, { "text": "He picked the nuts off the top of the cake." }, { "text": "Names were picked at random out of a hat." }, { "text": "to **pick your nose** *(= put your finger inside your nose to remove dried )", "contextForm": "pick something" }, { "text": "to **pick your teeth** *(= use a small sharp piece of wood or plastic to remove pieces of food from your teeth)*" }, { "text": "The dogs picked the bones clean *(= ate all the meat from the bones)*.", "contextForm": "pick something + adj." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "to play a musical instrument, especially a guitar, by pulling the strings with your fingers", "sensetop": "pick (something)", "labels": "(North American English)British and North American English", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be angry with somebody about something and want to discuss it with them", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to choose only those things that you like or want very much", "examples": [ { "text": "You have to take any job you can get—you can't pick and choose." } ], "topics": ["Preferences and decisions"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to ask somebody a lot of questions about something because they know more about the subject than you do", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "I need to pick your brains: what can you tell me about credit unions?" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to deliberately start a fight or an argument with somebody", "examples": [ { "text": "He had drunk too much and was ready to pick a fight with anyone who crossed his path." }, { "text": "She tried to pick a quarrel with me." } ], "topics": ["Opinion and argument"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to find the weak points in something such as a plan, suggestion, etc.", "examples": [ { "text": "It was easy to pick holes in his arguments." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to open a lock without a key, using something such as a piece of wire", "examples": [ { "text": "The burglars must have picked the lock on the back door." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to steal something from somebody’s pocket without them noticing", "examples": [ { "text": "The back pocket on a pair of jeans is the easiest one to pick." } ], "topics": ["Crime and punishment"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to criticize somebody, or their work or ideas, very severely", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to criticize somebody, or their work or ideas, very severely", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "Their case was torn to shreds by the defence lawyer." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to pay for something", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "The company picked up the tab for his hotel room." }, { "text": "The government will continue to pick up college fees for some students." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to return or to help somebody return to a normal situation, particularly after a shock or a disaster", "examples": [ { "text": "You cannot live your children's lives for them; you can only be there to pick up the pieces when things go wrong." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to go faster", "examples": [ { "text": "The train began to pick up speed." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to return to an earlier situation or way of life after a period doing something else", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to walk carefully, choosing the safest, driest, etc. place to put your feet", "examples": [ { "text": "She picked her way delicately over the rough ground." }, { "text": "We picked our way carefully over the jagged rocks." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to choose a horse, etc. that you think is most likely to win a race", "examples": [ { "text": "He's very good at picking winners." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to make a very good choice", "labels": "(informal)", "cefr": "c2", "examples": [], "topics": ["Preferences and decisions"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "offering somebody an ideal opportunity to gain an advantage", "examples": [ { "text": "This is an opportunity ripe for the picking." }, { "text": "The Raiders' defense is ripe for the picking." } ] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/pɪk/", "audio": "pi/pick/pick__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/pɪks/", "audio": "pi/pick/picks__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/pɪkt/", "audio": "pi/pick/picked__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/ˈpɪkɪŋ/", "audio": "pi/pick/picking__gb_1.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/pɪk/", "audio": "pi/pick/pick__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/pɪks/", "audio": "pi/pick/picks__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/pɪkt/", "audio": "pi/pick/picked__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/ˈpɪkɪŋ/", "audio": "pi/pick/picking__us_1.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "verb Middle English (earlier as pike, which continues in dialect use): of unknown origin. Compare with Dutch pikken ‘pick, peck’, and German picken ‘peck, puncture’, also with French piquer ‘to prick’." }