get better; "Her performance in school picked up";
lift out or reflect from a background; "The scarf picks up the color of the skirt"; "His eyes picked up his smile";
get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted";
eat by pecking at, like a bird;
take up by hand; "He picked up the book and started to read";
take into custody; "the police nabbed the suspected criminals";
fill with high spirits; fill with optimism; "Music can uplift your spirits";
give a passenger or a hitchhiker a lift; "We picked up a hitchhiker on the highway";
take and lift upward;
recieve (perceptual input); "pick up a signal";
perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily; "I caught the aroma of coffee"; "He caught the allusion in her glance"; "ears open to catch every sound"; "The dog picked up the scent"; "Catch a glimpse";
buy casually or spontaneously; "I picked up some food for a snack";
gather or collect; "You can get the results on Monday"; "She picked up the children at the day care center"; "They pick up our trash twice a week";
get in addition, as an increase; "The candidate picked up thousands of votes after his visit to the nursing home";
meet someone for sexual purposes; "he always tries to pick up girls in bars";