Meaning & use
take your pick
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
Used to offer someone a free choice from several things, all of which are available to them.
Grammar: Often an imperative: Take your pick of the desserts. The pronoun changes: take his pick.
Patterns
- take your pick of something
- take your pick from something
There are three flavors on the menu, so take your pick.
The shop has dozens of hats; take your pick.
Take your pick of the rooms upstairs; they are all empty.
phraseidiominformal
Used to say that many equally good or equally bad options exist, so any of them could be named.
Grammar: Often placed at the end of a list: pasta, pizza, burgers, take your pick.
Patterns
- X, Y, Z, take your pick
The causes of the delay were many: weather, strikes, bad planning, take your pick.
Why was he late? Traffic, laziness, a flat tire, take your pick.
There are plenty of excuses; take your pick.
Word forms
| third person singular | takes your pick |
|---|---|
| past tense | took your pick |
| past participle | taken your pick |
| -ing form | taking your pick |
Common combinations
- take your pick of
- Guests can take their pick of the board games.
- take your pick from
- You can take your pick from three menus.
- take your pick, they are all good
- Take your pick, they are all good.
- spoiled for choice, take your pick
- Spoiled for choice, we told the child to take her pick.
- take your pick of the bunch
- She could take her pick of the bunch of job offers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- help yourself
- Help yourself invites someone to take what they like, usually food or objects, but does not stress choosing among options.
- choose
- Choose is neutral and can be an order, while take your pick feels relaxed and generous.
- your choice
- Your choice is shorter and can sound cooler or more indifferent than take your pick.
- be my guest
- Be my guest grants permission to go ahead and does not require several options to exist.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: take your pick or pick up?
take your pick vs pick up
Pick up means lift or collect something, not choose it, so take your pick does not mean pick it up.
Practice
The bakery has twelve kinds of pie, so the owner told the children to ______.
Choose one answer.
Take your pick invites a free choice among several items. Take your time, place and leave are real phrases but do not mean choose one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “take your pick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.