All phrasal verbs
pick
/pɪk/5 phrasal verbsThe plain verb means to select or lift.
Pick up is one of the highest-frequency phrasal verbs in English and carries at least five senses: collect a person or thing, learn casually, improve, answer a phone, and catch an illness.
Adding ON changes it completely twice over: pick up on = notice something subtle; pick on = bully. One letter of difference between “she picked up on my mood” and “she picked on me”.
Side by side
Every PICK phrasal verb, with the one line that keeps it apart from its siblings. Tap any one to open it.
| Phrasal verb | Means | How to remember it |
|---|---|---|
| pick upSeparable5 meanings | collect; learn casually; improve; answer the phone | UP = lift it into your hands or your head. |
| pick up onInseparable | notice something subtle | UP ON = the detail rises into your awareness. |
| pick onInseparable | bully or treat unfairly | ON = you land on one person, repeatedly. |
| pick outSeparable2 meanings | select from a group; distinguish visually | OUT = you take one out of many. |
| pick atInseparable | eat reluctantly; touch repeatedly | AT = small, repeated contact. |