pick up

Sense 1 verb

take and lift upward

Sense 2 verb

take up by hand

He picked up the book and started to read

Sense 3 verb

give a passenger or a hitchhiker a lift

We picked up a hitchhiker on the highway

Sense 4 verb

gather or collect

You can get the results on Monday

Sense 5 verb

get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

I learned that she has two grown-up children

Sense 6 verb

get in addition, as an increase

The candidate picked up thousands of votes after his visit to the nursing home

Sense 7 verb

take into custody

the police nabbed the suspected criminals

Sense 8 verb

buy casually or spontaneously

I picked up some food for a snack

Sense 9 verb

register (perceptual input)

pick up a signal

Sense 10 verb

lift out or reflect from a background

The scarf picks up the color of the skirt

Sense 11 verb

meet someone for sexual purposes

he always tries to pick up girls in bars

Sense 12 verb

fill with high spirits; fill with optimism

Music can uplift your spirits

Sense 13 verb

improve significantly; go from bad to good

Her performance in school picked up

Sense 14 verb

perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily

I caught the aroma of coffee

Sense 15 verb

eat by pecking at, like a bird

Sense 16 verb

gain or regain energy

I picked up after a nap