pickup

/ˈpɪkʌp/

pickup noun: in a record player, an electromagnetic component that converts the needle vibrations into an electrical signal. Also the ellipsis of pickup truck.

Noun

pickup (countable and uncountable, plural pickups)

In a record player, an electromagnetic component that converts the needle vibrations into an electrical signal.

Synonyms:

phono cartridge
Electromagnetic coil receiver of metal string oscillations.
The reception of sound, etc. by such a device.
- This microphone has very weak pickup.
(attributive, usually) Impromptu or ad hoc, especially of sports games and teams made up of randomly selected players.
- Rather than join a basketball league, James decided to play pickup.
- At lunch we had a game of pickup hockey.
An instance of approaching someone and engaging in romantic flirtation and courting with the intent to pursue romance, a date, or a sexual encounter.
- Hey, thanks for the drink, but if this is a pickup, I'm not interested.
- "Sunday Music," a chronicle of a disco pickup and morning after that skillfully parallels Eric's recollections of a recent ex-lover.1986 February 15, John Kyper, “Tangled Sheets and Other Stories [review]”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 39, page B4
A person successfully approached in this manner for romance or sex.
- "Good Lord! I'm not stopping you from taking on all the pick-ups that come your way."1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 4
- But what about the women who still go to bars — are they completely unaffected by these negative connotations? Hardly. No woman wants to think of herself as being an easy pick-up […]1984, Steven Carter, What every man should know about the "new woman": a survival guide
In various games, the fielding or hitting of a ball just after it strikes the ground.
- The fourth seed was dominating her 20-year-old opponent with a series of stinging groundstrokes and athletic drive-volleys, striking again in game five when Paszek flicked a forehand pick-up into the tramlines.2011 June 28, David Ornstein, “Wimbledon 2011: Victoria Azarenka beats Tamira Paszek in quarters”, in BBC Sport
An item that can be picked up by the player, conferring some benefit or effect; a power-up.
- Every step of the way you come across absolutely loads of aliens, pick-ups and new and weird obstacles to overcome.1991, James Leach, Turrican II (video game review) in Your Sinclair issue 69
- Enter the graveyard if you want pick-ups, otherwise make a left under the archways to progress. When the pathway ends, you'll see two blocked-off tunnels and a switch between them.2002, Acclaim Entertainment, Turok Evolution: The official strategy guide, page 73
(Canada, US) The act of a challenging party or candidate winning an electoral district held by an incumbent party or candidate.
- The returns from the election show Apple Party candidate Jane Doe has made a pickup in the district of City West defeating Orange Party Incumbent Joe Smith
The act of answering a telephone.
- That's why the phone at the theater's on automatic pickup.2006, Georgina Spelvin, The Devil Made Me Do It, Little Red Hen Books, published 2008, →ISBN, page 224
A relatively minor shot filmed or recorded after the fact to augment previous footage.
The act of collecting and taking away something or someone, usually in a vehicle.
- A computer voice tells her that she is supposed to make a pickup in Griffith Park and deliver it to a Reverend Wayne's Pearly Gates franchise in Van Nuys.2011, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, Penguin Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 168
- Owner Philip Schaffart said a precoronavirus Tuesday typically brought in $2,500 in revenue. This past Tuesday, he said, that amount dwindled to $300 as his place was open only for pickup and delivery.2020 March 18, Cindy Gonzalez, “Blackstone District starts emergency fund to aid the neighborhood's bar, restaurant servers”, in Omaha World-Herald

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(uncountable) A time during which passengers, such as school children, are picked up.
- These signs are friendly reminders for road users to slow down during drop-off and pick-up.2021 February 1, Living in Brisbane, Brisbane, page 1
(uncountable) The rate at which a motor vehicle picks up speed.
- The Willys-Overland won't be the fastest car on the road or have the best pickup, but it will have a top speed of eighty miles per hour, and its makers are confident that no car in its class will excel it in economy of fuel and upkeep.1946, Henry Robinson Luce, Fortune, volume 34, page 186
- The more highly vaporized the mixture your carburetor delivers, the more power you get, which means higher speed, better pickup, smoother idling, more miles per gallon.1955, Popular Mechanics, volume 104, number 3, page 70
(uncountable) The condition of being picked up, or taken up; adoption by some entity.
- Newsweek gave it a big write-up, as did many trade journals, including, ^([sic]) Editor and Publisher. And our articles get pickup as far west as the Tombstone Epitaph in Arizona.1987, Chuck Jordan, Jordan Family Descendents^([sic]), page 302
- Back then CPI staff demonstrated a reflexivity common to public relations, reflected for instance in Lewis's acknowledgment of the fact that the novelty factor might lead to more pickup.2018, Magda Konieczna, Journalism Without Profit: Making News when the Market Fails, page 189

Proper noun capitalized: Pickup

Pickup

A surname.

Also used as

pickup is also the ellipsis of pickup truck.

pickup is also the misspelling of pick up.

pickup meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Telugu

pickup in Hindi

पिकअप

pickup in Tamil

பிக்அப்

pickup in Bengali

পিকআপ

pickup in Telugu

పికప్

More languagesFewer languages

pickup in Malayalam: പിക്കപ്പ്, പിക്കപ്പ് ചെയ്യുക
pickup in Kannada: ಪಿಕ್ಅಪ್, ಪಿಕಪ್
pickup in Punjabi: ਪਿਕਅੱਪ
pickup in Gujarati: પિકઅપ
pickup in Nepali: पिकअप

Examples of pickup in a sentence

Trevor, like an Aussie outbacker, eats snacks and a pickup meal of bread, cantaloupe, olives, mangoes, and melon.2010, Mary Ellen Snodgrass, Peter Carey: A Literary Companion, page 100:
Audball's latest pickup didn't seem to care where they were, or anything at all about alimony, palimony, or child support […]2002, James A. Abrahamson, Confessions of a Diplomatic Pouch Clerk, page 192:

All 40 example sentences with pickup

Synonyms of pickup

phono cartridge

Forms of pickup

plural	pickups
alternative form	pick-up
alternative form	pick up

Plural of pickup: pickups

Origin of pickup

From pick + up.

Words formed from pickup

Phrases with pickup

Questions about pickup

What does pickup mean?: Pickup means in a record player, an electromagnetic component that converts the needle vibrations into an electrical signal.
What is pickup in Hindi?: Pickup in Hindi is पिकअप. See Pickup meaning in Hindi.
How do you use pickup in a sentence?: Trevor, like an Aussie outbacker, eats snacks and a pickup meal of bread, cantaloupe, olives, mangoes, and melon.
What part of speech is pickup?: Pickup can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce pickup?: Pickup is pronounced /ˈpɪkʌp/.
What is the plural of pickup?: The plural of pickup is pickups.

Words near pickup in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pickup.wav.

Cite this entry: “pickup.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pickup. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.