picking
noun
Simple meaning
Items remaining after others have selected the best.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pikingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɪkɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
usually pluralized
Items remaining after others have selected the best; scraps, as of food.
usually pluralized
Income or other gains, especially if obtained in an unscrupulous or objectionable manner.
The act of making a choice; selection.
The final finishing of woven fabrics by removing burs, etc.
The removal of defects from electrotype plates.
Dabbing in stoneworking.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Items remaining after others have selected the best; scraps, as of food.
Used this way, picking is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use picking
- “He sent the first picking of berries to the market.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.