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Glite Dictionary
to pick on

to pick on

156 3.5
To say mean things to someone again and again because they seem weaker
  • phrasal verb
  • /pɪk ɑn/
  • Informal
translation icon : meterse con
  • And I knew that if I was at your school, I'd probably have picked on you too.
  • pick on others
  • get picked on
  • bullies pick on others

I, I wasn't the guy that was, I picked on people or did nothing like that.

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Examples

  • She always seems to pick on the quiet kids in class.

  • Sophie is being picked on at school.

    Dream Scenario (2023)

  • Hey man you used to get picked on too.

  • The next time you want to hit somebody, pick on somebody your own size.

    Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

  • Since when have I been picking on you?

    Wuthering Heights (1970)

  • Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?

    Chinatown (1974)

  • Don't pick on small people.

    The Black Hole (1979)

  • There was this other kid who was universally picked on in my high school.

    Academic text (2015)

  • I mean, who wants to brag about being picked on and being made fun of all the time?

    Fiction book (2002)

  • And I wish you wouldn't pick on the poor girl all the time.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

to taunt
vsto pick on
  • Offensive
93 5.8

To mock someone again and again to make them angry or upset

includes repeated unfair treatment especially toward someone weaker, not only provocation
to find fault
vsto pick on
15 4.4

To say something is wrong or not good, often about small things

does the same but adds unfair treatment of more vulnerable people
to harsh on
vsto pick on
  • Informal
7 5.8

Criticize someone in a very unkind way

shares severity but also emphasizes repeated unfair targeting of the vulnerable
to take potshots at
vsto pick on
  • Offensive
4 8.1

To make quick, unfair critical remarks about someone or their ideas

is similar but involves ongoing targeting rather than occasional comments
to pick at
vsto pick on
3 5.7

Keep finding small faults in someone or their ideas

repeats criticism but focuses on weaker people and unfair treatment
to vituperate
vsto pick on
  • Offensive
9.9

To criticize someone angrily using harsh words

is similar in harshness but adds repeated unfair treatment of weaker people
to break someone's chops
vsto pick on
  • Archaic
8.7

To tease or nag someone in a way that annoys them

can overlap when cruel, but usually is less unfair and less aggressive

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to encourage
∞ 2.3

Give someone support and confidence so they try or keep doing something

How Harsh

to torment
  • NSFW
107 7.2
to bully
  • Offensive
68 3.8
to harass
302 4.0
to pick on
  • Informal
156 3.5
to tease
245 1.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

pick + on

The meaning 'to bully or repeatedly criticize someone' is partly inferable from 'pick' (to choose/target or provoke) plus the particle 'on' marking the target — a learner can guess it involves singling someone out. However, the specific sense of repeated unfair treatment or teasing is an extended, partly idiomatic use of the verb+particle combination and is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Pick on comes from the image of someone repeatedly picking at one person, like a bird that keeps pecking the same spot and focusing on that single person. That's why it means 'to bully' or 'to treat someone unfairly' by choosing them again and again.