Phrasal verbs are an essential part of the English language. They consist of a verb combined with a preposition or adverb, creating a unique meaning. In this blog post, we will explore 20 phrasal verbs with “pick up,” each explained with short meanings and example sentences.

Phrasal Verbs with “Pick Up”

1. Pick up on

Meaning: Notice or detect something.
Example: He quickly picked up on her mood.

2. Pick up after

Meaning: Clean up someone else’s mess.
Example: Parents often pick up after their kids.

3. Pick up the pace

Meaning: Move or work faster.
Example: We need to pick up the pace now.

4. Pick up steam

Meaning: Gain momentum or energy.
Example: The project started to pick up steam.

5. Pick up a habit

Meaning: Start a new habit.
Example: He picked up a habit of jogging.

6. Pick up a tab

Meaning: Pay the bill.
Example: I’ll pick up the tab this time.

7. Pick up on

Meaning: Understand something hinted.
Example: Did you pick up on her sarcasm?

8. Pick up a language

Meaning: Learn a new language.
Example: She picked up Spanish very quickly.

9. Pick up signals

Meaning: Detect non-verbal cues.
Example: He picked up signals from her behavior.

10. Pick up someone

Meaning: Collect someone by car.
Example: I’ll pick up John at five.

11. Pick up where left off

Meaning: Resume from a stopping point.
Example: Let’s pick up where we left off.

12. Pick up the pieces

Meaning: Recover from a setback.
Example: She helped him pick up the pieces.

13. Pick up on something

Meaning: Realize or notice something.
Example: He didn’t pick up on the clue.

14. Pick up trash

Meaning: Collect and dispose of garbage.
Example: Volunteers picked up trash at the park.

15. Pick up a scent

Meaning: Detect a smell.
Example: The dog picked up a scent quickly.

16. Pick up an illness

Meaning: Catch a disease.
Example: He picked up a cold last week.

17. Pick up a conversation

Meaning: Continue talking after a pause.
Example: Let’s pick up our conversation later.

18. Pick up the slack

Meaning: Take on extra work.
Example: She picked up the slack during vacation.

19. Pick up a book

Meaning: Start reading a book.
Example: He picked up a book to read.

20. Pick up the phone

Meaning: Answer a telephone call.
Example: She picked up the phone immediately.