pick up
[verb]
Synonyms:
- lift, gather, grasp, raise, take up, uplift
- obtain, buy, come across, find, purchase
- recover, be on the mend, get better, improve, mend, rally, take a turn for the better, turn the corner
- learn, acquire, get the hang of (informal), master
- collect, call for, get
[noun]
improvement, change for the better, rally, recovery, revival, rise, strengthening, upswing, upturn

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Related Idioms: take (someone) downtown, pick up the thread again
Related Words: book

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English Thesaurus: buy, purchase, acquire, get, snap something up, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

pick up phrasal verb (see also pick)

1. LIFT SOMETHING/SOMEBODY UPpick something/somebody ↔ up to lift something or someone up:
He picked up the letter and read it.
The phone rang and I picked it up.
Mummy, can you pick me up?

2. pick yourself up to get up from the ground after you have fallen:
Carol picked herself up and brushed the dirt off her coat.

3. TIDY SOMETHING pick something ↔ up American English to make a room or building tidy:
Pick up your room before you go to bed.

4. GET SOMETHING pick something ↔ up informal
a) to get or win something:
He’s already picked up three major prizes this year.
b) to buy something or get it from a shop etc:
I picked up an evening paper on the way home.
For more details, pick up a leaflet in your local post office.
c) to get an illness:
I picked up a virus while I was in America.

5. COLLECT pick something ↔ up to collect something from a place:
I’ll pick my things up later.
She just dropped by to pick up her mail.

6. LET SOMEBODY INTO A VEHICLE pick somebody ↔ up to let someone get into your car, boat etc and take them somewhere:
I’ll pick you up at the station.
The survivors were picked up by fishing boats from nearby villages.

7. LEARN pick something ↔ up to learn something by watching or listening to other people:
I picked up a few words of Greek when I was there last year.
Mary watched the other dancers to see if she could pick up any tips.

8. NOTICE pick something ↔ up to notice something that is not easy to notice, such as a slight smell or a sign of something:
I picked up a faint smell of coffee.
The dogs picked up the scent and raced off.
We picked up their tracks again on the other side of the river.

9. RADIO/SIGNALSpick something ↔ up if a machine picks up a sound, movement, or signal, it is able to notice it or receive it:
The sensors pick up faint vibrations in the Earth.
I managed to pick up an American news broadcast.

10. SEX pick somebody ↔ up to become friendly with someone you have just met because you want to have sex with them:
young women sitting around in bars waiting to be picked up

11. START AGAIN
a) if you pick up where you stopped or were interrupted, you start again from that point:
We’ll meet again in the morning and we can pick up where we left off.
b) pick something ↔ up if you pick up an idea that has been mentioned, you return to it and develop it further:
I’d like to pick up what you said earlier.
This same theme is picked up in his later works.

12. IMPROVE
a) if a situation picks up, it improves:
Her social life was picking up at last.
The economy is finally beginning to pick up again.
We’ve been through a bit of a bad patch, but things are picking up again now.
b) pick somebody up if a medicine or drink picks you up, it makes you feel better ⇒ pick-me-up

13. ROAD pick something ↔ up if you pick up a road, you go onto it and start driving along it:
We take the A14 to Birmingham and then pick up the M5.

14. TRAIN/BUS pick something ↔ up if you pick up a train, bus etc, you get onto it and travel on it

15. pick up speed/steam to go faster:
The train was gradually picking up speed.

16. pick up the bill/tab (for something) informal to pay for something:
Why should the taxpayer pick up the tab for mistakes made by a private company?

17. WIND if the wind picks up, it increases or grows stronger

18. COLOUR pick something ↔ up if one thing picks up a colour in something else, it has an amount of the same colour in it so that the two things look nice together:
I like the way the curtains pick up the red in the rug.

19. CRIMINAL pick somebody ↔ up if the police pick someone up, they take them somewhere to answer questions or to be locked up:
He was picked up by police as he was trying to leave the country.

20. pick up the pieces (of something) to try to make your life normal again after something very bad has happened to you:
Thousands of victims of the earthquake are now faced with the task of picking up the pieces of their lives.

21. pick up the threads (of something) if you pick up the threads of something that you were doing, you try to return to it and start doing it again after it stopped or was changed:
Now that the war was over they could pick up the threads of their lives again.

22. pick your feet up spoken used to tell someone to walk properly or more quickly

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

ˈpick-up noun

1. VEHICLE [countable] especially American English a small truck with low sides that is used for carrying goods

2. IMPROVEMENT [countable] an improvement in something which will be good for economic success
pick-up in
There are signs of a pick-up in high street spending.

3. COLLECTION [uncountable and countable] an occasion when someone or something is collected from a place:
The price includes travel from your local pick-up point in the UK to your hotel in Paris.
trash pick-up

4. PERSON [countable] informal a stranger that you meet in a bar, at a party etc and have sex with

5. MUSIC [countable] an electronic part on a musical instrument, especially an electric guitar, that makes the sound louder

6. SPEED [uncountable] American English the rate at which a vehicle can increase its speed Synonym : acceleration:
It was a small car, but it had good pick-up.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

buy to pay money for something so that you can own it:
I’ve just bought a new car.
The painting was bought by a museum in New York.
purchase formal to buy something, especially something large or expensive, in a business deal or by a legal contract:
They purchased 5,000 acres of land.
acquire formal to become the owner of something large or expensive such as property, a company, or a valuable object:
In 2007 the business was acquired by a Dutch company.
Television companies were then allowed to acquire more stations.
get especially spoken to buy something, especially ordinary things such as food, clothes, or things for your house:
Did you remember to get some bread?
I never know what to get Dad for his birthday.
snap something up informal to buy something immediately, especially because it is very cheap, or because you want it very much and you are worried that someone else might buy it first:
Real estate in the area is being snapped up by developers.
pick something up informal to buy something, especially something ordinary such as food or a newspaper, or something that you have found by chance and are pleased about owning:
Could you pick up some milk on your way home?
It’s just a little thing I picked up when I was in Kathmandu.
stock up to buy a lot of something you use regularly, because you may not be able to buy it later, or because you are planning to use more of it than usual:
The supermarkets are full of people stocking up for the New Year’s holiday.
We always stock up on cheap wine when we go to France.
Before the blizzard, we stocked up on food.
splash out British English informal
, splurge American English informal to buy something you would not usually buy, because it is too expensive, in order to celebrate an event or make yourself feel good:
Why don’t you splash out on a new dress for the party?
We splurged on an expensive hotel for the last night of the vacation.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

learn to gain knowledge of a subject or skill, especially by being taught or trained:
How long have you been learning Italian?
What age can you learn to drive in America?
study to learn about a subject by reading books, going to classes etc, especially at school or university:
She’s studying music at Berkeley College in California.
train to learn the skills and get the experience that you need in order to do a particular job:
Julie’s training to be a nurse.
pick something up to learn something without much effort, by watching or listening to other people:
It’s easy to pick up a language when you’re living in a country.
The rules of the game are easy – you’ll soon pick them up.
get the hang of something informal to learn how to do or use something that is fairly complicated, especially with practice:
It took me a while to get the hang of all the features on my new camera.
revise British English, review American English to study facts again, especially on your own, in order to learn them before an examination:
Jenny’s upstairs revising for her Maths exam tomorrow.
master to learn something so well that you have no difficulty with it, especially a skill or a language:
She gave me a book called ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’.
I learnt Spanish for years but I never really mastered it.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

lift (up) to move something or someone upwards to a higher position, especially something heavy, either by using your hands or a machine:
You shouldn’t lift anything heavy if you have a bad back.
She lifted the lid from a huge pot and took a sniff.
They lifted me onto a stretcher and took me to the ambulance.
He lifted the girl up onto his knee.
They used a crane to lift the carriages back onto the rails.
The massive bull lifted him bodily into the air and shook him repeatedly.
raise to lift something to a higher position for a short time before lowering it again. Raise is more formal than lift:
The bridge can be raised to allow ships to pass under it.
‘Cheers, everyone!’ said Larry, raising his glass.
pick up to lift something up from the ground, from a table etc, especially something small or light:
She picked up her bag and left the room.
Tom picked the papers up off the floor.
Why don’t you just pick up the phone and call him?
Maurin picked up the gun and put it in his pocket.
The lioness picked her cub up by its neck.
There are papers all over the floor – could you pick them up and put them away?
The little girl’s mother laughed and bent down to pick her up.
The vacuum cleaner won’t pick this stuff up.
scoop up to lift someone or something quickly from the ground, from a table etc, using your hand or arm:
She bent down and scooped up the little dog.
hoist to lift up something which is heavy and difficult to carry:
Joe picked up the sack and hoisted it onto the truck.
The crowd hoisted him onto their shoulders and carried him triumphantly down the main street.
elevate technical to lift something to a higher position and keep it there:
The doctor advised me to rest and elevate my ankle.
put your hand up to lift your arm into the air, for example because you want to speak in a class or when voting:
Put your hand up if you know the answer.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rescue to remove someone from a dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant situation:
Firefighters worked for two hours to rescue people from the building.
Will you rescue me if I get stuck talking to Sam?
come to the rescue/sb’s rescue to come and rescue or help someone:
It was an embarrassing moment, but fortunately Paul came to the rescue.
Several people saw I was in trouble, but no one came to my rescue.
save to prevent someone from being killed, harmed, or losing something, or to make it possible for something to continue:
Wearing a seat belt can help save your life.
They saved the hospital from closure.
If you break down in the desert, there is no one there to save you.
pick somebody up to rescue someone from a dangerous place by taking them away in a boat or aircraft:
A lifeboat picked them up two miles from the coast.
They spent the night near the top of the mountain, before being picked up by a helicopter.
bail somebody out to rescue a person, company etc from a difficult situation, by providing them with the money they need:
A number of state-owned enterprises have been bailed out by the central bank.
He owed thousands of pounds and his mother had to bail him out.
a dramatic rescue
A woman is in hospital following a dramatic rescue from her blazing flat.
a daring rescue
The lifeboat crew has been honoured for a daring rescue on the Cleveland coast.
attempt/mount a rescue (=try to rescue someone)
The stormy conditions made it impossible to mount a rescue.
a rescue attempt/effort
One fire fighter was severely burned in the rescue attempt.
a rescue operation/mission
A major rescue operation was launched yesterday after two divers were reported missing.
a rescue worker
Rescue workers are searching through the rubble for survivors.
a rescue team
He was still conscious when the rescue team arrived.
a rescue helicopter/boat/ship
A rescue helicopter is on its way.
a rescue plan/package (=plan to save a company, economy etc that is in trouble)
They drew up a rescue plan that involved restructuring the firm.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

pick up
pick (someone) up
1.
to get someone and bring them somewhere.
I'll pick you up at the airport.

I'm just waiting to pick up the kids.

2.
to meet someone you did not know and begin an informal and often sexual relationship with them.
Is that the girl who picked him up at a bar last week?

I was almost picked up by a 16-year-old last summer.

3.
to get someone to play for your team.
They made trades with several teams, and picked up Davis from the Reds.

4.
to put someone under the control of the police.
Police picked up 12 suspects in early-morning raids.

The police pick them up, but the judges just let them go.

pick (you) up
to make you happy.
This is the kind of music that just picks you up.

Seeing her always picked me up.

pick up (something)
to answer the telephone.
Her answering machine came on, and I yelled, "Pick up, Marie! Pick up the phone!"

1.
to increase in speed or amount.
The wind really picked up this morning.

Economic growth is expected to pick up next year.

2.
to improve.
The team usually plays poorly in the first half, then picks up later in the game.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

pick up something
pick up (something)
to answer the telephone.
Her answering machine came on, and I yelled, "Pick up, Marie! Pick up the phone!"

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

pick up
1. • pick up (someone)
1). to take on passengers in a bus/car/train etc.
The bus picked up my mother at six o'clock in the morning.

2). to take someone to the police station, to arrest someone
The police picked up the man for drinking and driving.

3). to get or receive something
I will pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow.

I picked up a copy of the newspaper at the station.

I picked up my dry cleaning after I finished work yesterday.

4). to learn something without formal study
I picked up a lot of French when I lived in France for a year.

5). to pick up something that has fallen on the floor
"Could you please pick up my pen from the floor."

2. • pick up (something)
to start again after an interruption
It was getting late so we decided to stop work and pick up where we left off the next day.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

pick up something
• pick up (something)
to start again after an interruption
It was getting late so we decided to stop work and pick up where we left off the next day.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

pick up
v.
1. To take up; lift.
During the morning Mrs. Carter picked up sticks in the yard.
2. informal To pay for someone else.
After lunch, in the restaurant, Uncle Bob picked up the check.
3. To take on or away; receive; get.
At the next corner the bus stopped and picked up three people.
4. To get from different places at different times; a little at a time; collect.
He had picked up rare coins in seaports all over the world.
5. To get without trying; get accidentally.
He picked up knowledge of radio just by staying around the radio station.
Billy picked up a cold at school.
6a. To gather together; collect.
When the carpenter finished making the cabinet, he began picking up his tools.
6b. To make neat and tidy; tidy up; put in order.
Pick up your room before Mother sees it.
6c. To gather things together; tidy a place up.
It's almost dinner time, children. Time to pick up and get ready.
7. To catch the sound of.
He picked up Chicago on the radio.
8. To get acquainted with (someone) without an introduction; make friends with (a person of the other sex).
Mother told Mary not to walk home by herself from the party because some stranger might try to pick her up.
9. informal To take to the police station or jail; arrest.
Police picked the man up for burglary.
10. To recognize the trail of a hunted person or animal; find.
State police picked up the bandit's trail.
The dogs picked up the fox's smell.
11. To make (someone) feel better; refresh.
A little food will pick you up.
12a. To increase (the speed); make (the speed) faster.
The teacher told her singing class to pick up the tempo.
The car picked up speed.
12b. To become faster; become livelier.
The speed of the train began to pick up.
After the band practiced for a while, the music began to pick up.
13. To start again after interruption; go on with.
The class picked up the story where they had left it before the holiday.
They met after five years, and picked up their friendship as if there had been no interruption.
14. informal To become better; recover; gain.
She picked up in her schoolwork.
He picked up gradually after a long illness.
His spirits picked up as he came near home.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲