pick off

[pik-awf, -of] / ˈpɪkˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

VERB

shoot

Synonyms

STRONGEST

blast execute explode fire hit hurl kill launch murder open fire

STRONG

bag barrage bombard catapult dispatch emit expel fling gun ignite loose plug pop project propel pump torpedo trigger zap

WEAK

bring down drop the hammer let fly let go with open up pull the trigger set off throw lead

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bear create fail

STRONG

conceal hold keep withhold

WEAK

backfire walk

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Navy decommissioned its last battleship in 1992, after the military recognized that battleships had become sitting ducks, vulnerable to modern military munitions that could pick off the vessel from the sky.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

Interceptors that cost $100,000 pick off $500 drones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

BigBear can certainly pick off smaller, more specialized government contracts, however, and even has a partnership with Palantir.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

Now, however, the court has granted classwide relief, at least for now, to ensure that the government can’t pick off non-plaintiffs and quietly fly them to El Salvador.

From Slate • May 16, 2025

They marched around the back yard, slashing at foliage, occasionally pausing to pick off a stray elephant or fight a tribe of cannibals.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

pick off

Example Sentences

Related Words