picking
Americannoun
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pickings
plural
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the act of a person or thing that picks.
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something that is or may be picked or picked up.
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the amount picked.
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pickings,
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scraps or gleanings.
the pickings of a feast.
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profits or gains; spoils.
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of picking
before 900; Middle English; Old English picung (once) a mark made by picking; see pick 1, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Unlike his predecessor, Johnson had held no leadership positions within the House prior to picking up the gavel.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Thoughts of a £100m-rated midfielder picking out a Brazil winger to head Bournemouth to victory in Europe was the stuff of fantasy as the Dorset club battled for survival.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Yes, it’s going to feel endless, but you never know. This person might be open to picking up the check but you swoop in so quickly.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Rallying around the slogan “Free Red Elk,” Mitchell and others posted videos picking apart Walters’ case.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
She did the same thing two more times, picking at tiny threads and pulling until the entire sleeve dropped neatly from the coat.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Murdoch, his business empire and his feuds with his six children have become rich pickings for authors, screenwriters and directors.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
For royal watchers, Trooping the Colour is rich pickings.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
The drink lineup was solid, much better than the slim pickings at my $89 beach day in the Dominican Republic a few days earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
A hunk of romaine was easy pickings for Porkchop and her three flippers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
The pickings from their rubbish heaps had become richer in consequence, and for the first time Tree-ear was able to forget about his stomach for a few hours each day.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
