Pick vs. Hold

Picknoun

A tool used for digging; a pickaxe.

Holdverb

(transitive) To grasp or grip.

‘Hold the pencil like this.’;

Picknoun

A tool for unlocking a lock without the original key; a lock pick, picklock.

Holdverb

(transitive) To contain or store.

‘This package holds six bottles.’;

Picknoun

A comb with long widely spaced teeth, for use with tightly curled hair.

Holdverb

(heading) To maintain or keep to a position or state.

Picknoun

A choice; ability to choose.

Holdverb

(transitive) To have and keep possession of something.

‘Hold my coat for me.’; ‘The general ordered the colonel to hold his position at all costs.’;

Picknoun

That which would be picked or chosen first; the best.

Holdverb

(transitive) To reserve.

‘Hold a table for us at 7:00.’;

Picknoun

(basketball) A screen.

Holdverb

(transitive) To cause to wait or delay.

‘Hold the elevator.’;

Picknoun

(lacrosse) An offensive tactic in which a player stands so as to block a defender from reaching a teammate.

Holdverb

(transitive) To detain.

‘Hold the suspect in this cell.’;

Picknoun

(American football) An interception.

Holdverb

(intransitive) To be or remain valid; to apply (usually in the third person).

‘to hold true;’; ‘The proposition holds.’;

Picknoun

(baseball) A good defensive play by an infielder.

Holdverb

To keep oneself in a particular state.

‘to hold firm;’; ‘to hold opinions’;

Picknoun

(baseball) A pickoff.

Holdverb

(transitive) To impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain.

Picknoun

(music) A tool used for strumming the strings of a guitar; a plectrum.

Holdverb

(transitive) To bear, carry, or manage.

‘He holds himself proudly erect.’; ‘Hold your head high.’;

Picknoun

A pointed hammer used for dressing millstones.

Holdverb

Not to move; to halt; to stop.

Picknoun

(obsolete) A pike or spike; the sharp point fixed in the center of a buckler.

Holdverb

(intransitive) Not to give way; not to part or become separated; to remain unbroken or unsubdued.

Picknoun

A particle of ink or paper embedded in the hollow of a letter, filling up its face, and causing a spot on a printed sheet.

Holdverb

To remain continent; to control an excretory bodily function.

‘to hold one's bladder;’; ‘to hold one's breath’;

Picknoun

That which is picked in, as with a pointed pencil, to correct an unevenness in a picture.

Holdverb

(heading) To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.

Picknoun

(weaving) The blow that drives the shuttle, used in calculating the speed of a loom (in picks per minute); hence, in describing the fineness of a fabric, a weft thread.

‘so many picks to an inch’;

Holdverb

(transitive) To maintain, to consider, to opine.

Pickverb

To grasp and pull with the fingers or fingernails.

‘Don't pick at that scab.’; ‘He picked his nose.’;

Holdverb

(transitive) To bind (someone) to a consequence of his or her actions.

‘He was held responsible for the actions of those under his command.’; ‘I'll hold him to that promise.’;

Pickverb

To harvest a fruit or vegetable for consumption by removing it from the plant to which it is attached; to harvest an entire plant by removing it from the ground.

‘It's time to pick the tomatoes.’;

Holdverb

To maintain in being or action; to carry on; to prosecute, as a course of conduct or an argument; to continue; to sustain.

Pickverb

To pull apart or away, especially with the fingers; to pluck.

‘She picked flowers in the meadow.’; ‘to pick feathers from a fowl’;

Holdverb

To accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain.

Pickverb

To take up; especially, to gather from here and there; to collect; to bring together.

‘to pick rags’;

Holdverb

(archaic) To restrain oneself; to refrain; to hold back.

Pickverb

To remove something from somewhere with a pointed instrument, with the fingers, or with the teeth.

‘to pick the teeth; to pick a bone; to pick a goose; to pick a pocket’;

Holdverb

To win one's own service game.

Pickverb

To decide upon, from a set of options; to select.

‘I'll pick the one with the nicest name.’; ‘Seek an opportunity to quarrel or argue with someone.’;

Holdverb

To take place, to occur.

Pickverb

(cricket) To recognise the type of ball being bowled by a bowler by studying the position of the hand and arm as the ball is released.

‘He didn't pick the googly, and was bowled.’;

Holdverb

To organise an event or meeting (usually in passive voice).

‘Elections will be held on the first Sunday of next month.’;

Pickverb

(music) To pluck the individual strings of a musical instrument or to play such an instrument.

‘He picked a tune on his banjo.’;

Holdverb

(archaic) To derive right or title.

Pickverb

To open (a lock) with a wire, lock pick, etc.

Holdnoun

A grasp or grip.

‘Keep a firm hold on the handlebars.’;

Pickverb

To eat slowly, sparingly, or by morsels; to nibble.

Holdnoun

A place where animals are held for safety

Pickverb

To do anything fastidiously or carefully, or by attending to small things; to select something with care.

Holdnoun

An order that something is to be reserved or delayed, limiting or preventing how it can be dealt with.

‘Senator X placed a hold on the bill, then went to the library and placed a hold on a book.’;

Pickverb

To steal; to pilfer.

Holdnoun

Something reserved or kept.

‘We have a hold here for you.’;

Pickverb

(obsolete) To throw; to pitch.

Holdnoun

Power over someone or something.

Pickverb

(dated) To peck at, as a bird with its beak; to strike at with anything pointed; to act upon with a pointed instrument; to pierce; to prick, as with a pin.

Holdnoun

The ability to persist.

Pickverb

(ambitransitive) To separate or open by means of a sharp point or points.

‘to pick matted wool, cotton, oakum, etc.’;

Holdnoun

The property of maintaining the shape of styled hair.

Pickverb

To throw; to pitch.

‘As high as I could pick my lance.’;

Holdnoun

(wrestling) A position or grip used to control the opponent.

‘He got him in a tight hold and pinned him to the mat.’;

Pickverb

To peck at, as a bird with its beak; to strike at with anything pointed; to act upon with a pointed instrument; to pierce; to prick, as with a pin.

Holdnoun

(exercise) An exercise involving holding a position for a set time

Pickverb

To separate or open by means of a sharp point or points; as, to pick matted wool, cotton, oakum, etc.

Holdnoun

(gambling) The percentage the house wins on a gamble, the house or bookmaker's hold.

‘The House Hold on the game is 10,000, this is the amount of decision or risk the house wishes to assume.’;

Pickverb

To open (a lock) as by a wire.

Holdnoun

(gambling) The wager amount, the total hold.

‘As of Monday night the total Melbourne Cup hold was $848,015’;

Pickverb

To pull apart or away, especially with the fingers; to pluck; to gather, as fruit from a tree, flowers from the stalk, feathers from a fowl, etc.

Holdnoun

(tennis) An instance of holding one's service game, as opposed to being broken.

Pickverb

To remove something from with a pointed instrument, with the fingers, or with the teeth; as, to pick the teeth; to pick a bone; to pick a goose; to pick a pocket.

‘Did you pick Master Slender's purse?’; ‘He picks clean teeth, and, busy as he seemsWith an old tavern quill, is hungry yet.’;

Holdnoun

The part of an object one is intended to grasp, or anything one can use for grasping with hands or feet.

Pickverb

To choose; to select; to separate as choice or desirable; to cull; as, to pick one's company; to pick one's way; - often with out.

Holdnoun

A fruit machine feature allowing one or more of the reels to remain fixed while the others spin.

Pickverb

To take up; esp., to gather from here and there; to collect; to bring together; as, to pick rags; - often with up; as, to pick up a ball or stones; to pick up information.

Holdnoun

A pause facility.

Pickverb

To trim.

Holdnoun

The queueing system on telephones and similar communication systems which maintains a connection when all lines are busy.

Pickverb

To eat slowly, sparingly, or by morsels; to nibble.

‘Why stand'st thou picking? Is thy palate sore?’;

Holdnoun

(baseball) A statistic awarded to a relief pitcher who is not still pitching at the end of the game and who records at least one out and maintains a lead for his team.

Pickverb

To do anything nicely or carefully, or by attending to small things; to select something with care.

Holdnoun

The cargo area of a ship or aircraft, (often cargo hold).

‘Put that in the hold.’;

Pickverb

To steal; to pilfer.

Holdadjective

(obsolete) Gracious; friendly; faithful; true.

Picknoun

A sharp-pointed tool for picking; - often used in composition; as, a toothpick; a picklock.

Holdnoun

The whole interior portion of a vessel below the lower deck, in which the cargo is stowed.

Picknoun

A heavy iron tool, curved and sometimes pointed at both ends, wielded by means of a wooden handle inserted in the middle, - used for digging ino the ground by quarrymen, roadmakers, etc.; also, a pointed hammer used for dressing millstones.

Holdnoun

The act of holding, as in or with the hands or arms; the manner of holding, whether firm or loose; seizure; grasp; clasp; grip; possession; - often used with the verbs take and lay.

‘Ne have I not twelve pence within mine hold.’; ‘Thou should'st lay hold upon him.’; ‘My soul took hold on thee.’; ‘Take fast hold of instruction.’;

Picknoun

A pike or spike; the sharp point fixed in the center of a buckler.

Holdnoun

The authority or ground to take or keep; claim.

‘The law hath yet another hold on you.’;

Picknoun

Choice; right of selection; as, to have one's pick; in cat breeding, the owner of a stud gets the pick of the litter.

‘France and Russia have the pick of our stables.’;

Holdnoun

Binding power and influence.

‘Fear . . . by which God and his laws take the surest hold of.’;

Picknoun

That which would be picked or chosen first; the best; as, the pick of the flock.

Holdnoun

Something that may be grasped; means of support.

‘If a man be upon an high place without rails or good hold, he is ready to fall.’;

Picknoun

A particle of ink or paper imbedded in the hollow of a letter, filling up its face, and occasioning a spot on a printed sheet.

Holdnoun

A place of confinement; a prison; confinement; custody; guard.

‘They . . . put them in hold unto the next day.’; ‘King Richard, he is in the mighty holdOf Bolingbroke.’;

Picknoun

That which is picked in, as with a pointed pencil, to correct an unevenness in a picture.

Holdnoun

A place of security; a fortified place; a fort; a castle; - often called a stronghold.

‘New comers in an ancient hold’;

Picknoun

The blow which drives the shuttle, - the rate of speed of a loom being reckoned as so many picks per minute;

Holdnoun

A character [thus ] placed over or under a note or rest, and indicating that it is to be prolonged; - called also pause, and corona.

Picknoun

the person or thing chosen or selected;

‘he was my pick for mayor’;

Holdverb

To cause to remain in a given situation, position, or relation, within certain limits, or the like; to prevent from falling or escaping; to sustain; to restrain; to keep in the grasp; to retain.

‘The loops held one curtain to another.’; ‘Thy right hand shall hold me.’; ‘They all hold swords, being expert in war.’; ‘In vain he seeks, that having can not hold.’; ‘France, thou mayst hold a serpent by the tongue, . . . A fasting tiger safer by the tooth,Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold.’;

Picknoun

the quantity of a crop that is harvested;

‘he sent the first picking of berries to the market’; ‘it was the biggest peach pick in years’;

Holdverb

To retain in one's keeping; to maintain possession of, or authority over; not to give up or relinquish; to keep; to defend.

‘We mean to hold what anciently we claimOf deity or empire.’;

Picknoun

the best people or things in a group;

‘the cream of England's young men were killed in the Great War’;

Holdverb

To have; to possess; to be in possession of; to occupy; to derive title to; as, to hold office.

‘This noble merchant held a noble house.’; ‘Of him to hold his seigniory for a yearly tribute.’; ‘And now the strand, and now the plain, they held.’;

Picknoun

the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving

Holdverb

To impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain.

‘We can not hold mortality's strong hand.’; ‘Death! what do'st? O, hold thy blow.’; ‘He had not sufficient judgment and self-command to hold his tongue.’;

Picknoun

a small thin device (of metal or plastic or ivory) used to pluck a stringed instrument

Holdverb

To maintain in being or action; to carry on; to prosecute, as a course of conduct or an argument; to continue; to sustain.

‘Hold not thy peace, and be not still.’; ‘Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost,Shall hold their course.’;

Picknoun

a thin sharp implement used for picking;

‘he used a pick to clean dirt out of the cracks’;

Holdverb

To prosecute, have, take, or join in, as something which is the result of united action; as to, hold a meeting, a festival, a session, etc.; hence, to direct and bring about officially; to conduct or preside at; as, the general held a council of war; a judge holds a court; a clergyman holds a service.

‘I would hold more talk with thee.’;

Picknoun

a heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends;

‘they used picks and sledges to break the rocks’;

Holdverb

To receive and retain; to contain as a vessel; as, this pail holds milk; hence, to be able to receive and retain; to have capacity or containing power for.

‘Broken cisterns that can hold no water.’; ‘One sees more devils than vast hell can hold.’;

Picknoun

a basketball maneuver; obstructing an opponent with one's body;

‘he was called for setting an illegal pick’;

Holdverb

To accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain.

‘Stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught.’; ‘But still he held his purpose to depart.’;

Picknoun

the act of choosing or selecting;

‘your choice of colors was unfortunate’; ‘you can take your pick’;

Holdverb

To consider; to regard; to esteem; to account; to think; to judge.

‘I hold him but a fool.’; ‘I shall never hold that man my friend.’; ‘The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.’;

Pickverb

select carefully from a group;

‘She finally picked her successor’; ‘He picked his way carefully’;

Holdverb

To bear, carry, or manage; as he holds himself erect; he holds his head high.

‘Let him hold his fingers thus.’; ‘O, fie! to receive favors, return falsehoods,And hold a lady in hand.’;

Pickverb

look for and gather;

‘pick mushrooms’; ‘pick flowers’;

Holdverb

In general, to keep one's self in a given position or condition; to remain fixed. Hence:

Pickverb

harass with constant criticism;

‘Don't always pick on your little brother’;

Holdverb

Not to move; to halt; to stop; - mostly in the imperative.

‘And damned be him that first cries, "Hold, enough!"’;

Pickverb

provoke;

‘pick a fight or a quarrel’;

Holdverb

Not to give way; not to part or become separated; to remain unbroken or unsubdued.

‘Our force by land hath nobly held.’;

Pickverb

remove in small bits;

‘pick meat from a bone’;

Holdverb

Not to fail or be found wanting; to continue; to last; to endure a test or trial; to abide; to persist.

‘While our obedience holds.’; ‘The rule holds in land as all other commodities.’;

Pickverb

remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits;

‘Clean the turkey’;

Holdverb

Not to fall away, desert, or prove recreant; to remain attached; to cleave; - often with with, to, or for.

‘He will hold to the one and despise the other.’;

Pickverb

pilfer or rob;

‘pick pockets’;

Holdverb

To restrain one's self; to refrain.

‘His dauntless heart would fain have heldFrom weeping, but his eyes rebelled.’;

Pickverb

pay for something;

‘pick up the tab’; ‘pick up the burden of high-interest mortgages’; ‘foot the bill’;

Holdverb

To derive right or title; - generally with of.

‘My crown is absolute, and holds of none.’; ‘His imagination holds immediately from nature.’;

Pickverb

pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion;

‘he plucked the strings of his mandolin’;

Holdnoun

the act of grasping;

‘he released his clasp on my arm’; ‘he has a strong grip for an old man’; ‘she kept a firm hold on the railing’;

Pickverb

attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example;

‘Pick open the ice’;

Holdnoun

understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something;

‘he has a good grasp of accounting practices’;

Pickverb

hit lightly with a picking motion

Holdnoun

power by which something or someone is affected or dominated;

‘he has a hold over them’;

Pickverb

eat intermittently; take small bites of;

‘He pieced at the sandwich all morning’; ‘She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles’;

Holdnoun

time during which some action is awaited;

‘instant replay caused too long a delay’; ‘he ordered a hold in the action’;

Pickverb

detach and remove (a flower, fruit, or vegetable) from where it is growing

‘I went to pick some flowers for Jenny's room’;

Holdnoun

a state of being confined (usually for a short time);

‘his detention was politically motivated’; ‘the prisoner is on hold’; ‘he is in the custody of police’;

Pickverb

take hold of and lift or move

‘picking her up, he carried her from the room’; ‘he picked a match out of the ashtray’;

Holdnoun

a stronghold

Pickverb

take hold of and lift up one's ball, especially when conceding a hole.

Holdnoun

a cell in a jail or prison

Pickverb

choose (someone or something) from a number of alternatives

‘Maggie picked on a nice reliable chap’; ‘maybe I picked the wrong career’; ‘he was picked for the England squad’;

Holdnoun

the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it;

‘he grabbed the hammer by the handle’; ‘it was an old briefcase but it still had a good grip’;

Pickverb

walk slowly and carefully, selecting the best places to put one's feet

‘he picked his way along the track, avoiding the potholes’;

Holdnoun

the space in a ship or aircraft for storing cargo

Pickverb

repeatedly pull at something with one's fingers

‘the old woman was picking at the sheet’;

Holdverb

organize or be responsible for;

‘hold a reception’; ‘have, throw, or make a party’; ‘give a course’;

Pickverb

make (a hole) in fabric by pulling at it with one's fingers

‘she picked a hole in her tights’;

Holdverb

keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,

‘keep clean’; ‘hold in place’; ‘She always held herself as a lady’; ‘The students keep me on my toes’;

Pickverb

eat food in small amounts or without much appetite

‘she picked at her breakfast’;

Holdverb

have or hold in one's hands or grip;

‘Hold this bowl for a moment, please’; ‘A crazy idea took hold of him’;

Pickverb

remove unwanted matter from (one's nose or teeth) by using one's finger or a pointed instrument

‘he picked his teeth with a matchstick’;

Holdverb

to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement;

‘This holds the local until the express passengers change trains’; ‘About a dozen animals were held inside the stockade’; ‘The illegal immigrants were held at a detention center’; ‘The terrorists held the journalists for ransom’;

Pickverb

criticize someone in a petty way

‘don't start picking at Ruth’;

Holdverb

have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices;

‘She bears the title of Duchess’; ‘He held the governorship for almost a decade’;

Pickverb

pluck the strings of (a guitar or banjo)

‘people were singing and picking guitars’;

Holdverb

have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense;

‘She has $1,000 in the bank’; ‘He has got two beautiful daughters’; ‘She holds a Master's degree from Harvard’;

Picknoun

an act or the right of selecting something from a number of alternatives

‘Laura should have first pick’; ‘take your pick from our extensive menu’;

Holdverb

keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view;

‘take for granted’; ‘view as important’; ‘hold these truths to be self-evident’; ‘I hold him personally responsible’;

Picknoun

the person or thing perceived as the best in a group

‘he was the pick of the bunch’;

Holdverb

contain or hold; have within;

‘The jar carries wine’; ‘The canteen holds fresh water’; ‘This can contains water’;

Picknoun

someone or something that has been selected

‘the club made him their first pick’;

Holdverb

lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits;

‘moderate your alcohol intake’; ‘hold your tongue’; ‘hold your temper’; ‘control your anger’;

Picknoun

an act of blocking or screening a defensive player from the ball handler.

Holdverb

remain in a certain state, position, or condition;

‘The weather held’; ‘They held on the road and kept marching’;

Picknoun

a tool consisting of a long handle set at right angles in the middle of a curved iron or steel bar with a point at one end and a chisel edge or point at the other, used for breaking up hard ground or rock.

Holdverb

maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings);

‘bear a grudge’; ‘entertain interesting notions’; ‘harbor a resentment’;

Picknoun

an instrument for picking

‘an ebony hair pick’;

Holdverb

assert or affirm;

‘Rousseau's philosophy holds that people are inherently good’;

Picknoun

a plectrum

‘a pink guitar pick’;

Holdverb

remain committed to;

‘I hold to these ideas’;

Holdverb

secure and keep for possible future use or application;

‘The landlord retained the security deposit’; ‘I reserve the right to disagree’;

Holdverb

be the physical support of; carry the weight of;

‘The beam holds up the roof’; ‘He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam’; ‘What's holding that mirror?’;

Holdverb

hold the attention of;

‘The soprano held the audience’; ‘This story held our interest’; ‘She can hold an audience spellbound’;

Holdverb

keep from exhaling or expelling;

‘hold your breath’;

Holdverb

support or hold in a certain manner;

‘She holds her head high’; ‘He carried himself upright’;

Holdverb

have room for; hold without crowding;

‘This hotel can accommodate 250 guests’; ‘The theater admits 300 people’; ‘The auditorium can't hold more than 500 people’;

Holdverb

be capable of holding or containing;

‘This box won't take all the items’; ‘The flask holds one gallon’;

Holdverb

be valid, applicable, or true;

‘This theory still holds’;

Holdverb

take and maintain control over, often by violent means;

‘The dissatisfied students held the President's office for almost a week’;

Holdverb

protect against a challenge or attack;

‘Hold that position behind the trees!’; ‘Hold the bridge against the enemy's attacks’;

Holdverb

declare to be;

‘She was declared incompetent’; ‘judge held that the defendant was innocent’;

Holdverb

have as a major characteristic;

‘The novel holds many surprises’; ‘The book holds in store much valuable advise’;

Holdverb

cause to stop;

‘Halt the engines’; ‘Arrest the progress’; ‘halt the presses’;

Holdverb

bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted;

‘He's held by a contract’; ‘I'll hold you by your promise’;

Holdverb

cover as for protection against noise or smell;

‘She held her ears when the jackhammer started to operate’; ‘hold one's nose’;

Holdverb

drink alcohol without showing ill effects;

‘He can hold his liquor’; ‘he had drunk more than he could carry’;

Holdverb

be pertinent or relevant or applicable;

‘The same laws apply to you!’; ‘This theory holds for all irrational numbers’; ‘The same rules go for everyone’;

Holdverb

arrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance;

‘reserve me a seat on a flight’; ‘The agent booked tickets to the show for the whole family’; ‘please hold a table at Maxim's’;

Holdverb

resist or confront with resistance;

‘The politician defied public opinion’; ‘The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear’; ‘The bridge held’;

Holdverb

keep from departing;

‘Hold the taxi’; ‘Hold the horse’;

Holdverb

stop dealing with;

‘hold all calls to the President's office while he is in a meeting’;

Holdverb

aim, point, or direct;

‘Hold the fire extinguisher directly on the flames’;

Holdverb

be in accord; be in agreement;

‘We agreed on the terms of the settlement’; ‘I can't agree with you!’; ‘I hold with those who say life is sacred’; ‘Both philosophers concord on this point’;