Meaning & use
picking fights
Last updated
“picking fights” is a form of “pick a fight”.
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
deliberately starting arguments or trouble with people, often for no clear reason
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; the base form is 'pick a fight (with someone)'.
Patterns
- picking fights with someone
- keep picking fights
- stop picking fights
He's been picking fights with his coworkers all week.
Stop picking fights over small things.
She was picking fights online just to get attention.
Common combinations
- keep picking fights
- If you keep picking fights, you'll lose friends.
- start picking fights
- He started picking fights after a bad day.
- picking fights with someone
- She was picking fights with her brother again.
- stop picking fights
- The teacher told them to stop picking fights.
Synonyms and how they differ
- provoking
- More general; it can mean annoying someone without necessarily starting a fight.
- antagonizing
- Stronger and more formal; it suggests making someone hostile on purpose.
Opposites
Word family
- pick a fight phrase
- The base form meaning to deliberately start an argument or fight.
Commonly confused: picking fights or picking on?
picking fights vs picking on
'Picking on someone' means repeatedly treating them unfairly or bullying them; 'picking fights' means starting arguments or fights.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'picking fights' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition after 'picking fights' is 'with': picking fights with someone. The other prepositions do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “picking fights”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.