Word.ws English Dictionary

having a bone to pick

having a bone to pick is the present participle and gerund of have a bone to pick.

Meaning of have a bone to pick

Verb

have a bone to pick (third-person singular simple present has a bone to pick, present participle having a bone to pick, simple past and past participle had a bone to pick)

  1. (idiomatic, usually) To have a complaint or grievance (with somebody); to have a contentious issue to discuss.
    • "I offered her that sum if she would take the garment back. And she did, she did, and I shall never have to wear that dreadful satin again." ¶ I made a note of this dressmaker's name. She and I may have a bone to pick some day.c. 1900, Anna Katharine Green, The Ruby and the Cauldron

Questions about having a bone to pick

What is having a bone to pick the present participle and gerund of?
Having a bone to pick is the present participle and gerund of have a bone to pick.

Words near having a bone to pick in the dictionary

  1. having a ball
  2. having a bath
  3. having a bird
  4. having a bite
  5. having a bone in one's leg
  6. having a bone to pick
  7. having a brick in one's hat
  8. having a bun in the oven
  9. having a care
  10. having a clue
  11. having a cob on

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: having a bone to pick (page history and authors); have a bone to pick (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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