Phrasal Verb: Pick Up
Phrasal verbs are a cornerstone of natural, everyday English. They often have several different meanings, which can be confusing at first — but once you learn them in context, they become incredibly useful. Because of their informal and conversational nature, phrasal verbs like pick up are common in spoken English, emails, stories, and dialogues, though they are usually avoided in very formal writing. Let’s look at the most common meanings of the phrasal verb pick up, with clear explanations and natural example sentences.
PICK UP – Meaning 1
Meaning: to learn something naturally, without formal instruction (especially a language or skill). We use pick up when learning happens informally, often just by being exposed to something.
- Paul picked up some Greek while he was on holiday in Greece.
- Children usually pick up new languages much more easily than adults.
- I picked up a few phrases just by listening to my colleagues.
Common collocation: pick up a language / pick up vocabulary
PICK UP – Meaning 2
Meaning: to answer the phone.
This is one of the most everyday uses of pick up and is extremely common in spoken English.
- Why don’t you pick up your phone when it’s ringing?
- Could you pick up the phone for me? My hands are dirty.
- She didn’t pick up, so I left a voicemail.
PICK UP – Meaning 3
Meaning: to catch an illness or infection.
Here, pick up means to become ill unintentionally, often from another person or place.
- Gilbert is in bed — he’s picked up a virus.
- Peter picked up measles from his child.
- She picked up a nasty cold on the flight.
Note: Instead of “He hardly stayed alive”, native speakers would say:
“It was terrible — he was seriously ill.”
“It was terrible — he was seriously ill.”
PICK UP – Meaning 4
Meaning: to lift something from the ground.
This meaning is very literal and easy to visualise.
- Your glasses are on the floor — pick them up before someone steps on them.
- She bent down to pick up the keys.
- We picked up some fallen leaves in the park.
PICK UP – Meaning 5
Meaning: to collect someone or something (often by car).
This is especially common when talking about transport and arrangements.
- Do you want me to pick you up on my way to work?
- My car’s broken, so Ned will pick me up tomorrow morning.
- I’ll pick the kids up from school at three.
Common collocations: pick someone up from school / from the airport / from work
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