pick off
Verb: 1. To remove by pulling or plucking sharply and cleanly: To detach something from where it is attached or growing, often with a quick, precise motion. 2. To shoot or eliminate one by one with careful, aimed shots: To target and shoot individuals in a group separately and methodically.
Verb (Meaning 1: To remove by plucking): She carefully picked off the dead leaves from the plant. He picked the label off the jar.
Verb (Meaning 2: To shoot one by one): The sniper picked off the enemy soldiers from a distance. Our best shooter will try to pick off the advancing targets.
In sports (baseball): To throw out a base runner who is off base. The catcher picked off the runner at first base with a quick throw.
Figurative use: To defeat or overcome opponents or items one at a time. We can pick off the items on our to-do list one by one.
- Pickoff (noun): In baseball, a play in which a base runner is caught off base and tagged out.
- Pluck: To remove or pull out quickly (for meaning 1).
- Cull: To select and remove from a group.
- Eliminate: To completely remove or get rid of (for meaning 2).
- Pick at: To eat food in small amounts without interest.
- Pick on: To bully or criticize someone unfairly.
- Pick out: To choose or select from a group.
- Pick up: To lift; to collect someone or something; to improve.
- Pick off the easy targets: To deal with the simplest parts of a problem first.
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pull or pull out sharply
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pluck the flowers off the bush
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shoot one by one