verb
1. shoot one by one (Freq. 1)
• Verb Frames:
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Somebody ——s somebody
2. pull or pull out sharply (Freq. 1)
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pluck the flowers off the bush
• Hyponyms: ↑tweeze
• Verb Frames:
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Somebody ——s something
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Something ——s something
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I. transitive verb1. : to remove by plucking
2.
a. : to shoot or bring down singly or selectively
picked off his pursuers as they emerged from the pass
wolves trailed the herd to pick off stragglers
had time to reload and pick off first one single, then the other — W.G.Means
b. : to catch (a base runner) off base with a quick throw by either the pitcher or the catcher that often results in a put-out
II. transitive verb
picked off a pass
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pick off
1. To kill selectively, or one by one, by shooting with great accuracy, usu from a distance
2. To detach and remove
• • •
Main Entry: ↑pick
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ˌpick ˈoff [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they pick off he/she/it picks off present participle picking off past tense picked off past participle picked off] phrasal verb
to shoot people, animals, or aircraft one by one by aiming at them carefully from a distance
Main entry: pick
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pick off [phrasal verb]
1 pick off (someone or something) or pick (someone or something) off : to aim at and shoot (someone or something)
The hunters hid by the stream and waited to pick off deer as they passed.
A sniper was picking off soldiers from the top of the building.
2 pick off (someone) or pick (someone) off baseball : to cause (a player who is standing close to a base) to be tagged out by making a quick throw
The runner on second base was picked off by the catcher.
— see also ↑pickoff
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Main Entry: ↑pick
Useful english dictionary. 2012.