# pick up

Pronunciation: say "pik UP" /ˌpɪk ˈʌp/

## Phrasal verb

1. To take hold of something and lift it from where it lies.
   - Simple: To take something in your hands and lift it up.
   - _The crane picked up the container and swung it onto the ship._
   - _Pick up the pan by the handle, not by the rim._
2. To collect something, especially by stopping for it on the way somewhere.
   - Simple: To get or collect something, often while you are going somewhere else.
   - _She stopped to pick up the tickets at the box office._
   - _The courier will pick up the package tomorrow morning._
3. To collect a passenger, stopping so that they can get into a vehicle.
   - Simple: To go and get someone in a car or other vehicle.
   - _A taxi picked up the two of them at the airport._
   - _The ferry picks up foot passengers at the north pier._
4. To answer a ringing telephone, or to answer a call.
   - Simple: To answer the phone when it rings.
   - _She let it ring four times before she picked up._
   - _He picked up the phone on the first ring._
5. To improve, increase, or gather speed.
   - Simple: To get better, bigger, or faster.
   - _Business picks up again once the tourists arrive._
   - _Her mood picked up as soon as the sun came out._
6. To learn or come to understand something; to grasp or realize it.
   - Simple: To learn something, or start to understand it.
   - _He picked up enough Spanish to get by in a month._
   - _You'll pick up the rhythm of the job in a few days._
7. To tidy a place, putting things back where they belong, or to clean up after oneself.
   - Simple: To tidy a room or place, or to clear up your own mess.
   - _We picked up the living room before the guests arrived._
   - _The campers picked up after themselves and left no trace._
8. To start again or continue after a break.
   - Simple: To start again after stopping.
   - _The story picks up right where the first book ended._
   - _After the fire alarm, the lecture picked up again from the slide it had stopped on._
9. To acquire something by chance or without intending to, in particular to catch a disease.
   - Simple: To get something without meaning to, such as an illness.
   - _Travelers often pick up infections from untreated water._
   - _The sweater had picked up every cat hair in the house._
11. To notice, detect, or make out something, such as a mood or a hint.
   - Simple: To notice something, especially a small sign.
   - _The interviewer picked up a slight hesitation before the answer._
   - _A good editor will pick up inconsistencies a reader would never see._
12. To receive a radio signal, a broadcast, or something similar.
   - Simple: To be able to receive a radio signal or station.
   - _The ship's receiver picked up a distress call just after midnight._
   - _With a bigger dish you can pick up satellites far to the south._
13. To meet and seduce someone for romantic or sexual purposes, especially in a social setting such as a bar.
   - Simple: To meet a stranger and get them interested in you, often at a bar or party.
   - _He tried to pick up a stranger at the hotel bar and got nowhere._
   - _Nobody goes to that club just to dance; everyone is there to pick up._
14. To pay for something, such as a meal or a bill.
   - Simple: To pay the cost of something, such as a meal.
   - _The firm picked up the hotel costs for everyone who flew in for the conference._
   - _Sponsors pick up most of the expenses, so the players travel for free._
15. Of the police, to take a suspect into custody.
   - Simple: Of the police, to find a suspect and take them in.
   - _Detectives picked up the driver at his apartment the next morning._
   - _Patrols were told to pick up anyone matching the description._
16. Of a news outlet, to obtain a story or news item and run it.
   - Simple: Of a newspaper or news site, to take a story from somewhere else and publish it.
   - _The claim was picked up by several wire services within the hour._
   - _Editors pick up items from rival outlets all the time, usually with a credit._
17. To notch up a result such as a win or a point.
   - Simple: To win or score something, such as a victory or points.
   - _The visitors picked up a valuable away point despite playing the second half with ten men._
   - _Teams that pick up three wins in a row move into the playoff spots._
18. In sports, to incur a foul by the way one plays.
   - Simple: In sports, to get a foul called against you.
   - _The center picked up his third foul before halftime and spent the rest of the half on the bench._
   - _Defenders who pick up an early foul have to play the rest of the match cautiously._
19. To join a road and follow it onward.
   - Simple: To get onto a road and follow it.
   - _After the detour, the bus picked up the main road again at the next junction._
   - _Cyclists who pick up the old canal road avoid the traffic entirely._
20. To lift someone's spirits, making them less despondent.
   - Simple: To make someone feel happier when they are sad.
   - _Nothing picks her up like an hour in the garden after work._
   - _Coaches know a small win can pick up a team that has lost its confidence._
21. To criticize a person by pointing out their behavior, habits, or actions, with the fault introduced by on.
   - Simple: To point out to someone that they have made a mistake, in a critical way.
   - _The editor picked him up on a date that was off by a century._
   - _Reviewers who pick authors up on their grammar rarely say much about the argument._
22. Of a telephone or a number, to receive calls and work as it should.
   - Simple: Of a phone, to work properly and take calls.
   - _The landline stopped picking up after the storm knocked out the lines._
   - _Numbers that don't pick up for a week are removed from the list._
23. In soccer, to mark an opponent, following them closely to defend against them.
   - Simple: In soccer, to guard a player on the other team by staying close to them.
   - _The full-back failed to pick up the winger as he made a late run into the box._
   - _Each defender picked up a man at the set piece, but the midfielder arrived unmarked._
24. To take physical control of something, such as a loose ball in play.
   - Simple: To get hold of something and take control of it, like a loose ball.
   - _She picked up the ball on the edge of the area and drove at the defense._
   - _Midfielders who pick up possession in their own half have time to look up._
25. In the US armed forces, to select for promotion someone who had previously been passed over. *(US)*
   - Simple: In the US military, to promote an officer who was passed over for promotion before.
   - _She was passed over once, then picked up by the next board and promoted to major._
   - _Boards sometimes pick up previously passed-over officers whose records have improved._

## Noun · pick-up

Pronunciation: say "PIK-up" /ˈpɪkˌʌp/

10. Alternative form of pickup. — Alternative form of pickup.
   - Simple: Alternative form of pickup. The same word written with a hyphen.
   - _The guitar's bridge pick-up gives a sharper sound than the neck one._
   - _A pick-up game of basketball started on the court behind the school._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pick-up (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).