1 B1 neutral
To eat only small amounts of food with little appetite or enthusiasm.
"She was so nervous before the interview that she could only pick at her breakfast."
inseparable
pick at
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To eat food in very small amounts without appetite; to repeatedly touch, scratch, or pull at something.
In plain English
To eat only a little bit of your food, or to keep touching or scratching something.
What does "pick at" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To repeatedly touch, scratch, or pull at something such as a wound, scab, or loose thread.
"Stop picking at that scab — you'll make it worse."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral
To criticise someone or something in a persistent, nagging way, focusing on small faults.
"Instead of picking at every little mistake, try to look at the bigger picture."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To pick (select/pull) at (individual parts of) something.
Actually means
To eat only a little bit of your food, or to keep touching or scratching something.
Usage tip
Very common in everyday speech. When used for food, it suggests a lack of appetite or enthusiasm. When used for physical objects such as wounds, scabs, or loose threads, it describes an annoying or compulsive repeated action. Can also be used figuratively to mean criticising something in a minor, persistent way.
Words that pair with "pick at"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
food meal scab wound thread label
How to conjugate "pick at"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
pick at
I/you/we/they
3rd person
picks at
he/she/it
Past simple
picked at
yesterday
Past participle
picked at
have + pp
-ing form
picking at
continuous
Hear "pick at" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "pick at" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "pick at"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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