pick up meaning and definition

PICK UP verb

Definition of pick up (verb)

1. take and lift upward
   • synonyms: gather up, lift up
2. take up by hand
   • "He picked up the book and started to read"
3. give a passenger or a hitchhiker a lift
   • "We picked up a hitchhiker on the highway"
4. gather or collect
   • "You can get the results on Monday"; "She picked up the children at the day care center"; "They pick up our trash twice a week"
   • synonyms: call for, collect, gather up
5. get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
   • "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted"
   • synonyms: discover, find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, see
6. get in addition, as an increase
   • "The candidate picked up thousands of votes after his visit to the nursing home"
7. take into custody
   • "the police nabbed the suspected criminals"
   • synonyms: apprehend, arrest, collar, cop, nab, nail
8. buy casually or spontaneously
   • "I picked up some food for a snack"
9. register (perceptual input)
   • "pick up a signal"
   • synonyms: receive
10. lift out or reflect from a background
    • "The scarf picks up the color of the skirt"; "His eyes picked up his smile"
11. meet someone for sexual purposes
    • "he always tries to pick up girls in bars"
12. fill with high spirits; fill with optimism
    • "Music can uplift your spirits"
    • synonyms: elate, intoxicate, lift up, uplift
    • antonym: cast down
13. improve significantly; go from bad to good
    • "Her performance in school picked up"
    • synonyms: turn around
14. perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily
    • "I caught the aroma of coffee"; "He caught the allusion in her glance"; "ears open to catch every sound"; "The dog picked up the scent"; "Catch a glimpse"
    • synonyms: catch
15. eat by pecking at, like a bird
    • synonyms: peck
16. gain or regain energy
    • "I picked up after a nap"
    • synonyms: gain vigor, percolate, perk, perk up