pick up

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/ˌpɪk ˈʌp/
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To bring something into reach or renewed activity.
Practice using pick up in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Her energy picked up after lunch.
  • He picked up some useful tips at the workshop.
  • She picked up a little Italian while living in Rome.
  • He tried to pick her up at the bar.
  • Could you pick up some milk on your way home?

Similar words

answer
increase
fetch
recover
foot the bill
cover
make a pass at
hit on
lift
absorb

Meanings

Lift or gather

movement
neutral
To lift something from a surface, or to gather things that are lying or scattered somewhere.

Examples

  • She picked up the keys from the floor.
  • Please pick up your clothes before dinner.
  • He bent down to pick up the coin.
  • We picked up the litter after the picnic.
  • The child picked up the cup with both hands.

Similar words

lift
gather
collect

Collect or obtain

travel and shopping
neutral
To go somewhere and collect a person or thing, or to obtain something while visiting a place.

Examples

  • I will pick you up outside the station at six.
  • Could you pick up some milk on your way home?
  • She picked up her parcel from the post office.
  • A taxi picked us up at the hotel.
  • I need to pick up my prescription after work.

Similar words

collect
fetch
get

Acquire informally

learning
informal
To acquire a skill, habit, idea, or piece of information casually rather than through deliberate study.

Examples

  • She picked up a little Italian while living in Rome.
  • Children often pick up new accents quickly.
  • I picked up the recipe from my grandmother.
  • He picked up some useful tips at the workshop.
  • Where did you pick up that habit?

Similar words

learn
acquire
absorb

Detect or receive

signals and health
neutral
To detect a sound, signal, smell, or sign, or to receive a broadcast or electronic connection.

Examples

  • The radio can pick up stations from across the border.
  • The microphone picked up every whisper.
  • The test may pick up an infection before symptoms appear.
  • Our receiver failed to pick up the signal.
  • Dogs can pick up scents that people cannot notice.

Similar words

detect
receive
catch

Improve or increase

business and activity
informal
To become stronger, busier, faster, or better after a weaker or slower period.

Examples

  • Business usually picks up before the holidays.
  • The rain should pick up later this evening.
  • Her energy picked up after lunch.
  • Sales began to pick up in March.
  • The pace picked up during the final mile.

Similar words

improve
increase
recover

Answer a call

telecommunications
informal
To answer a telephone or other communication device when it rings.

Examples

  • The phone rang, but nobody picked up.
  • I called twice before she picked up.
  • Can you pick up while I am cooking?
  • He saw my number and refused to pick up.
  • Please pick up if the office calls.

Similar words

answer
take the call

Resume from a point

conversation and stories
neutral
To continue a conversation, story, activity, or sequence from the point where it stopped.

Examples

  • We will pick up the discussion after lunch.
  • The second episode picks up where the first one ended.
  • She picked up her story after the interruption.
  • Let us pick up this topic again tomorrow.
  • The tour picked up after a short break.

Similar words

resume
continue
take up again

Approach romantically

dating
informal
To approach someone and try to begin a romantic or sexual encounter, often in a bar or other social setting.

Examples

  • He tried to pick her up at the bar.
  • She was tired of strangers trying to pick her up.
  • Was he being friendly, or was he trying to pick you up?
  • That line will not help you pick anyone up.
  • He apologized when his attempt to pick her up made her uncomfortable.

Similar words

chat up
hit on
make a pass at

Pay a bill or cost

payments
informal
To pay a bill or take responsibility for a cost, especially one shared with or incurred by others.

Examples

  • I will pick up the bill for dinner.
  • The company picked up the cost of the hotel.
  • Who is going to pick up the tab?
  • Insurance should pick up most of the repair costs.
  • Her parents agreed to pick up the extra fee.

Similar words

pay
cover
foot the bill

Etymology

Formed from pick, meaning to take or choose, and the particle up, which often suggests lifting, completion, or increase. Its figurative senses developed from these physical images.

FAQ

What does pick up mean?

Its common senses include lifting or collecting, learning casually, detecting, improving, answering, resuming, flirting, and paying a cost.

What does pick someone up mean?

It usually means to collect and transport the person, but informally it can mean to approach them romantically.

Can pick up mean learn?

Yes. To pick up a language or skill is to acquire it informally through experience.

What does pick up the phone mean?

It means to answer the phone when it rings.

What does business picked up mean?

It means business became busier or improved after a quieter period.

What does pick up the bill mean?

It means to pay the bill or accept responsibility for the cost.

Can pick up mean continue?

Yes. A conversation, story, or activity can pick up where it previously stopped.

Comments & contributions

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