PICK UP

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pick up mean? 

• PICK UP (verb)
  The verb PICK UP has 16 senses:

1. take and lift upward

2. take up by hand

3. give a passenger or a hitchhiker a lift

4. gather or collect

5. get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

6. get in addition, as an increase

7. take into custody

8. buy casually or spontaneously

9. register (perceptual input)

10. lift out or reflect from a background

11. meet someone for sexual purposes

12. fill with high spirits; fill with optimism

13. improve significantly; go from bad to good

14. perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily

15. eat by pecking at, like a bird

16. gain or regain energy

  Familiarity information: PICK UP used as a verb is very familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PICK UP (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Take and lift upward

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

gather up; lift up; pick up

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

bring up; elevate; get up; lift; raise (raise from a lower to a higher position)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take up by hand

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He picked up the book and started to read

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

touch (make physical contact with, come in contact with)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Give a passenger or a hitchhiker a lift

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

We picked up a hitchhiker on the highway

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

transport (move something or somebody around; usually over long distances)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

pickup (the act of taking aboard passengers or freight)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Gather or collect

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

call for; collect; gather up; pick up

Context example:

They pick up our trash twice a week

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

pickup (the act or process of picking up or collecting from various places)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

discover; find out; get a line; get wind; get word; hear; learn; pick up; see

Context example:

I see that you have been promoted

Verb group:

find; see; witness (perceive or be contemporaneous with)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pick up"):

get the goods (discover some bad or hidden information about)

wise up (get wise to)

catch; trip up (detect a blunder or misstep)

ascertain (learn or discover with certainty)

discover; find (make a discovery)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Get in addition, as an increase

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

The candidate picked up thousands of votes after his visit to the nursing home

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Take into custody

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

apprehend; arrest; collar; cop; nab; nail; pick up

Context example:

the police nabbed the suspected criminals

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

clutch; prehend; seize (take hold of; grab)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

pickup (a warrant to take someone into custody)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Buy casually or spontaneously

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

I picked up some food for a snack

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

buy; purchase (obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction)

Domain category:

commerce; commercialism; mercantilism (transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The men pick up the chairs

Derivation:

pickup (the act or process of picking up or collecting from various places)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Register (perceptual input)

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

pick up; receive

Context example:

pick up a signal

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

comprehend; perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pick up"):

hear (receive a communication from someone)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They pick up the information to them

Sense 10

Meaning:

Lift out or reflect from a background

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

His eyes picked up his smile

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

bring out; set off (direct attention to, as if by means of contrast)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 11

Meaning:

Meet someone for sexual purposes

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

he always tries to pick up girls in bars

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

get together; meet (get together socially or for a specific purpose)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

pickup (a casual acquaintance; often made in hope of sexual relationships)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Fill with high spirits; fill with optimism

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

elate; intoxicate; lift up; pick up; uplift

Context example:

Music can uplift your spirits

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

excite; shake; shake up; stimulate; stir (stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of)

Cause:

joy; rejoice (feel happiness or joy)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pick up"):

beatify (make blessedly happy)

puff (make proud or conceited)

beatify; exalt; exhilarate; inebriate; thrill; tickle pink (fill with sublime emotion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 13

Meaning:

Improve significantly; go from bad to good

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

pick up; turn around

Context example:

Her performance in school picked up

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

ameliorate; better; improve; meliorate (get better)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 14

Meaning:

Perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

catch; pick up

Context example:

Catch a glimpse

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

comprehend; perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 15

Meaning:

Eat by pecking at, like a bird

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

peck; pick up

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

eat (take in solid food)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 16

Meaning:

Gain or regain energy

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

gain vigor; percolate; perk; perk up; pick up

Context example:

I picked up after a nap

Hypernyms (to "pick up" is one way to...):

convalesce; recover; recuperate (get over an illness or shock)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

pickup (anything with restorative powers)

 Context examples 

“Better pick up Mr. Melas on our way,” I suggested.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They are synthesized in the liver as empty proteins and they pick up cholesterol and increase in size as they circulate through the bloodstream.

(High Density Lipoprotein, NCI Thesaurus)

"Is he stuffed?" asked the Lion in surprise, as he watched her pick up the Scarecrow and set him upon his feet, while she patted him into shape again.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

At the point where the path passes through the gate, you could surely pick up the tracks?

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He failed to pick up Bill's trail.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

So shaky was he that he could hardly pick up his change, and the clerk had helped him with it.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The other Indians laughed loudly, and urged the man on to pick up the cub.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

I wouldn't, Meg, your mother doesn't like it, you know, he whispered, leaning over her chair, as Ned turned to refill her glass and Fisher stooped to pick up her fan.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Every year I tell you to avoid Black Friday (November 29) for shopping and also Cyber Monday (December 2), but this year you have an open road to pick up those glittering bargains.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The Martian surface is extremely quiet, allowing SEIS, InSight's specially designed seismometer, to pick up faint rumbles.

(NASA's InSight Detects First Likely 'Quake' on Mars, NASA)