pick on

Meanings

1. 1verbphrasal verbdisapproving

   To treat someone unfairly and repeatedly by criticizing, teasing or blaming them in particular.

   Grammar: Takes an object after on and cannot be split: they pick on him.

   Patterns

   • pick on someone
   • be picked on by someone

   Older boys used to pick on him because he was small.

   Why do you always pick on me when something goes wrong?

   She felt the manager was picking on her in every meeting.

2. 2verbphrasal verbinformal

   To choose a particular person or thing from a group, often for a task or a negative reason.

   Grammar: Takes an object; choosing someone for something: picked on him to carry the bag.

   Patterns

   • pick on someone to do something

   The teacher picked on Leo to answer the hardest question.

   Of all the houses on the street, burglars picked on ours.

   Why did they pick on you for the night shift?

Word forms

Common combinations

constantly pick on

His classmates constantly picked on him.

pick on someone smaller

Don't pick on someone smaller than you.

get picked on

She got picked on at her first school.

stop picking on

Stop picking on your little brother.

unfairly picked on

He felt unfairly picked on by the coach.

Synonyms and how they differ

bully

Bully suggests physical or lasting intimidation, while pick on can mean milder, more everyday unfairness.

victimize

Victimize is formal and stresses harm done to a target, whereas pick on is conversational.

single out

Single out is neutral and may be praise or blame; pick on is almost always negative.

tease

Tease can be playful and affectionate, but pick on carries real unfairness.

Opposites

Word family

pick verb

to choose or select

picker noun

someone who picks, as in a fruit picker

picked adjective

chosen or selected

Commonly confused: pick on or pick at? pick on or pick up on?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pick on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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