picking

USPIK-ing/ˈpɪkɪŋ/

Noun pluralpickings (some meanings)

9 meanings of picking

Practice

1
verb
Present participle of pick. Use this form for an action happening right now.
She is picking apples from the lowest branch.
The kids are picking flowers in the field.
Note
2
noununcountable
The act of choosing one thing from a group.
Like choosing one candy from a big jar.
The picking of a class president took all morning.
Her quick picking of a seat surprised everyone.
Similarselection, choice
3
nouncountable
A thing that has been picked or pulled out of something.
She showed me her best picking from the berry patch.
Each picking went into a separate basket.
4
noun
Money or things you get, especially in a dishonest or unfair way.
Like extra coins someone grabs from the jar when no one is looking.
The thieves split the pickings from the empty house.
Corrupt clerks enjoyed rich pickings from every deal they handled.
Similarspoils, takings, loot, profits, gains
Note
5
noun
The small bits left over after others have taken the best parts.
Like the last few crumbs at the bottom of a snack bag.
By the time we reached the buffet, only the pickings were left.
The dog was happy with the pickings under the table.
Similarleftovers, scraps, remnants
Note
6
nouncountable
An event where people come together to gather fruit.
Like a big party where everyone helps gather apples together.
The orchard held its first picking of the season on Saturday.
After the big picking, everyone shared cider and pie.
Similarharvest
7
noununcountable
The last step in making cloth, when prickly bits and loose threads are removed.
Like brushing tiny prickly bits off a new blanket before it is sold.
After weaving, the cloth went through a careful picking to clean off every bur.
Workers in the picking room cleaned the new fabric by hand.
8
nouncountable or uncountable
Fixing tiny flaws on metal printing plates before they are used.
Like wiping tiny smudges off a stamp before you press it on paper.
The plate needed one more picking before it could print clean copies.
A careful picking removed the little pits from the surface.
9
noununcountable
A way of finishing stone by tapping its surface with a tool.
Like tapping a surface all over to leave little dents.
The mason gave the block a fine picking to smooth its face.
Each stone got a rough picking for extra grip.

picking is a form of pick

pick, verb: To choose one thing from a group of options. Full entry

Forms: pickpicks he/she/itpicking -ing formpicked past tense, past participle
Spelling: pick → picking: add -ing

Practice

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