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Glite Dictionary
🍽️ To eat little 🤏 To pull repeatedly 🗣️ To criticize 🐢 To do slowly
to pick at

to pick at

5 4.6
Eat very small amounts of food when not feeling hungry
  • phrasal verb
  • /pɪk æt/
translation icon : picar
  • There was simply nothing to talk about, and I picked at my salad.
  • pick at food
  • pick at a salad
  • pick at a plate

Examples

  • Julie reflected, as she picked at the shrimp, that this was one strange character.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Across from him, Carolyn picks at her food, watching him with contempt.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I just came down here to pick at it and...

    Passion of Mind (2000)

  • Charlie, don't pick at your food.

    Dark Waters (2019)

  • Adam watches his grandfather pick at a sandwich, then close his eyes and fall into a light sleep.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I left a rotisserie chicken in the fridge we can pick at.

    Eenie Meanie (2025)

  • He only comes in and picks at his food.

    The Time Machine (1960)

  • When the main course, a salmon mousse, was served, they found themselves picking at it.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • William now notices Penny standing nearby, picking at a salad from a paper dish.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Charlie, don't pick at your food; take a proper bite instead.

Synonyms

to pick
vsto pick at
116 3.6

To eat small amounts and not finish a meal

focuses more on eating only tiny amounts due to low appetite
to nibble
vsto pick at
56 2.0

To eat small, gentle bites slowly or a little at a time

implies eating very little because of low interest rather than gentle biting
to have a bite
vsto pick at
17 1.8

Eat a small amount of food as a quick snack

is used when someone eats only tiny amounts due to lack of appetite
to snack on
vsto pick at
10 2.5

To eat small amounts of food between meals

is about eating only tiny amounts generally from low interest or appetite
to peck
vsto pick at
9 3.4

To eat small, quick bites like a bird

describes slow, limited eating caused by low interest or appetite
to graze
vsto pick at
5 3.8

Eat small amounts of food during the day instead of a full meal

refers instead to eating only tiny amounts often from low appetite
to nosh
vsto pick at
  • Informal
4 8.2

To eat a small snack between meals

means eating very small amounts because of low appetite rather than snacking habit
to peck at
vsto pick at
1 4.7

To eat only a little food and not show interest

is about eating only tiny amounts, often from lack of interest
to eat like a bird
vsto pick at
  • Informal
1 6.0

To eat only a very small amount of food

emphasizes lack of interest or appetite causing only tiny intake

Antonyms

to feast
31 2.3

To eat and drink a lot, usually at a special meal

to devour
13 2.9

To eat food quickly because you are very hungry

How Much

to gorge
12 5.9
to eat
∞ 1.0
to snack
27 1.0
to pick at
5 4.6
to nibble
56 2.0

Surface Forms

pick at infinitive
picked at past
picked at past participle
picking at present participle
picks at third person singular

Morphology

pick + at

The primary sense of gently touching or nibbling (eating only a small amount) is directly related to 'pick' (remove small pieces) directed 'at' a target, so a learner who knows the constituents can likely infer the basic meaning. However, the verb+preposition combination extends metaphorically to doing things slowly or reluctantly, a nuance that is less strictly predictable from the parts alone, so full comprehension without exposure is not guaranteed.

Etymology

Pick at comes from the picture of a bird or a person using fingers to pick small bits of food from a plate. So it means 'to eat only small amounts of food, often without interest'.