pick on
1 of 1verb/ˈpɪk ɑn/
Forms:picks on,picking on,picked on,picked on
1
to keep treating someone unfairly or making unfair remarks about them
transitive- It's not nice to pick on your younger brother just because he's smaller than you.
- Teachers often advise students not to pick on their classmates.
- She felt like her colleagues always picked on her for her unique fashion sense.
- Why do you always pick on him during team meetings?He's doing his best.
- Some kids in the park were picking on a new child, and I had to intervene.
2
to choose someone specifically for a particular task or responsibility
transitive- The coach picked on James to take the final penalty shot.
- For the school project, I decided to pick on Sarah because she's great at research.
- Out of all the volunteers, they picked on him to lead the presentation.
- When it came to assigning a leader for the campaign, the committee picked on Lisa due to her experience.
- The director picked on the most experienced actor for the challenging role.