ENGLISH
REFERENCE

picked

v. · adj.
US //ˈpɪkt// UK //pˈɪkt// picked
  1. 1 chose or selected (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    chose someone or something from a group.

    selected a particular person or thing from a larger set of options.

    Example

    The coach picked her to be the captain of the team because of her leadership.

    Example

    The committee picked the most qualified candidate after reviewing dozens of impressive applications from across the country.

  2. 2 harvested (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    took fruit, flowers, or vegetables from where they were growing.

    removed a flower, fruit, or vegetable from its stem or place of growth.

    Example

    We picked a basket of fresh apples from the trees in the garden.

    Example

    The farmworkers picked the grapes by hand to ensure that only the ripest clusters were sent to the winery.

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  1. 3 carefully chosen (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    describes something that was chosen very carefully because it is the best.

    carefully selected for a specific quality or purpose; often used in the phrase 'hand-picked'.

    Example

    The shop only sells picked tomatoes that are perfectly ripe.

    Example

    The team consisted of a few picked experts who were brought in specifically to solve the technical crisis.

  2. 4 played with fingers/pick (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Music

    played on a musical instrument by pulling the strings with your fingers or a small tool.

    describes a style of playing stringed instruments where individual strings are plucked rather than strummed.

    Example

    The song features a beautiful picked guitar melody in the background.

    Example

    The folk singer used a picked style that allowed the delicate melody to stand out against the soft vocals.

    • strummed
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