Nearby Words
Synonyms

pickup

[pik-uhp] Origin

pick·up

[pik-uhp]
noun
1.
an improvement, as in health, business conditions, work, production, etc.
2.
Informal. pick-me-up.
3.
Informal. a casual, usually unintroduced acquaintance, often one made in hope of a sexual relationship.
4.
an instance of stopping for or taking aboard passengers or freight, as by a train, ship, taxicab, etc., especially an instance of taking freight or a shipment of goods onto a truck.
5.
the person, freight, or shipment so taken aboard: The cab driver had a pickup at the airport who wanted to be driven to the docks.
EXPAND
6.
Automotive.
a.
capacity for rapid acceleration.
b.
acceleration; increase in speed.
c.
Also called pickup truck. a small truck with a low-sided open body, used for deliveries and light hauling.
7.
Baseball. the act of fielding a ball after it hits the ground.
8.
Also called cartridge. a small device attached to the end of a phonograph tone arm that contains a stylus and the mechanism that translates the movement of the stylus in a record groove into a changing electrical voltage.
9.
Radio.
a.
the act of receiving sound waves in the transmitting set in order to change them into electrical waves.
b.
a receiving or recording device.
c.
the place from which a broadcast is being transmitted.
d.
interference (def. 4).
10.
Television.
a.
the change of light energy into electrical energy in a television camera.
c.
a telecast made directly from the scene of an action.
11.
a hitchhiker.
12.
Metalworking. (in the cold-drawing of metal) the adhesion of particles of the metal to the die or plug.
COLLAPSE
adjective
13.
composed of or employing whatever persons are available on a more or less impromptu basis: a pickup game of baseball; a pickup dance band.
14.
using whatever ingredients are handy or available: a Sunday night pickup supper.

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Pickup is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

Origin:
1855–60; noun use of verb phrase pick up
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

pickup
"small truck used for light loads," 1932, from pick (v.) + up, the notion probably being for use to "pick up" (feed, lumber, etc.) and deliver it where it was needed. As an adj. meaning "temporary, ad hoc" (of a game, band, etc.) the word is recorded from 1936.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

pickup definition


  1. n.
    something eaten or drunk to boost energy; a pick-me-up. : Bartender, I need a little pickup.
  2. n.
    a sudden increase in something, such as speed or tempo in music. : There will be a pickup in sales during the Christmas season.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
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