plural pickups
1
: one that is picked up: such as
a
: a hitchhiker who is given a ride
b
: a temporary chance acquaintance
c
: a player acquired from another team
2
: the act or process of picking up: such as
a
: a revival of business activity
b
c
: the act or technique of making the acquaintance of a previously unknown person especially for amorous purposes
d
: the act of collecting someone or something to be carried or transported away
Is your order for pickup or delivery?
We'll call your name when your food is ready for pickup.
… please have your party call you for pickup after they have retrieved their luggage.—
Rebecca Turco
Rebecca Turco3
: the conversion of mechanical movements into electrical impulses in the reproduction of sound
also
: a device (as on an electric guitar) for making such conversion
4
a
: the reception of sound or an image into a radio or television transmitting apparatus for conversion into electrical signals
b
: a device (such as a microphone or a television camera) for converting sound or the image of a scene into electrical signals
5
or pickup truck
: a light truck having an enclosed cab and an open body with low sides and tailgate
6
: a pickup game
playing pickup
: utilizing or comprising local or available personnel especially without formal organization
a pickup basketball game
a pickup band
picked up; picking up; picks up
1
2
: to take (passengers or freight) into a vehicle
3
a
: to acquire casually or by chance
picked up a valuable antique at an auction
b
: to acquire by study or experience : learn
picking up a great deal of knowledge in the process—Robert Schleicher
Robert Schleicher
c
: to obtain especially by payment : buy
picked up some groceries
d
: to acquire (a player) especially from another team through a trade or by financial recompense
e
: to accept for the purpose of paying
offered to pick up the tab
f
: to come down with : catch
picked up a cold
4
a
: to enter informally into conversation or companionship with (a previously unknown person)
had a brief affair with a girl he picked up in a bar
b
: to take into custody
the police picked up the fugitive
5
a
: to catch sight of : perceive
picked up the harbor lights
b
: to come to and follow
picked up the outlaw's trail
c
: to bring within range of sight or hearing
pick up distant radio signals
d
: understand, catch
didn't pick up the hint
7
: to resume after a break : continue
pick up the discussion tomorrow
8
: to assume responsibility for guarding (an opponent) in an athletic contest
9
: to provide needed support or assistance to (someone who has faltered or failed, such as a teammate who has made an error) in a collaborative effort
… Burns allowed only five hits and did not issue a walk. She also picked up her teammates after several fielding errors.—John Knebels
John KnebelsWe have faith. We don't panic. Even in all these one-run ballgames, we have trust in each other that we're going to pull it out. We pick each other up. On days we're not pitching it great, our offense gets going and vice versa.—Marco Gonzales
Marco Gonzales1
: to recover or increase speed, vigor, or activity : improve
after the strike, business picked up
the wind began to pick up
2
: to put things in order
was always picking up after her
3
: to pack up one's belongings
couldn't just pick up and leave
Synonyms
Examples of pickup in a Sentence
Noun
The fee pays for garbage pickup.
The school bus was late for its afternoon pickup.
The truck is scheduled to make a pickup today.
Adjective
He plays with pickup bands at nightclubs.
What's the pickup scene like in this city?
Verb
he has a knack for picking up a language in a few weeks
pick up all of your things because we have to be off this beach before dark
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Golden, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
In September, Tesla recalled more than 27,000 of the pickups because their rearview camera image may have been delayed.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 18 Nov. 2024
Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 18 Sep. 2024
An investigation into over 411,000 Ford and Lincoln SUVs and pickup trucks that had a potential engine defect that caused the vehicles to lose power has been closed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced in a report Monday.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
He’s also picked up a series of first downs with his legs, though just one over the past two weeks.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pickup 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Table at Hickory Inn is also offering boxes for pickup the day before Thanksgiving for $150.
—Alex Golden, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
In September, Tesla recalled more than 27,000 of the pickups because their rearview camera image may have been delayed.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 18 Nov. 2024
Adjective
Davis and the driver, along with a campaign volunteer and a staffer, are suing six Trump supporters who were part of a convoy made up of dozens of pickup trucks and cars adorned with large Trump flags that converged on the bus days before the 2020 presidential election.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 18 Sep. 2024
An investigation into over 411,000 Ford and Lincoln SUVs and pickup trucks that had a potential engine defect that caused the vehicles to lose power has been closed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced in a report Monday.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
Wardens and guards will continue assigning prison inmates to work in kitchens, clean prison yards or pick up trash beside highways.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
He’s also picked up a series of first downs with his legs, though just one over the past two weeks.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pickup
Dictionary Entries Near pickup
Cite this Entry
“Pickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pickup. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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