pɪk aʊt
neutral
beginner
- Base verb:
- pick
- Particle:
- out
- Separable:
- Yes
What does "pick out" mean?
- To choose or select something from a group
- To recognize or distinguish someone or something
- To make something visible by using a different colour
Examples
- Can you help me pick out a dress for the wedding?
- I could pick out her voice in the crowd.
- She picked out the best apples from the basket.
- The gold lettering was picked out against the black background.
- It was hard to pick out faces in the dim light.
How to use it
'Pick out' emphasizes careful selection from multiple options. Also used for recognizing something difficult to see or hear among many things.
Word order
Object can go between: 'pick a dress out' or after: 'pick out a dress'. Pronouns must go between: 'pick it out'.
Similar expressions
choose
select
identify
recognize
distinguish
Opposites
overlook
miss
ignore
Related phrasal verbs
- pick up
To lift something from a surface
- pick on
To bully or repeatedly criticize someone unfairly
- pick apart
To criticize something in great detail
- get out
To leave a place, room, or vehicle
- turn out
To have a particular result or end in a certain way
- go out
To leave your home for social activities or entertainment
Use it in a practice answer
Try "pick out" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.