Pick up on
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To notice or understand something not obvious
Example sentence
She picked up on his nervousness right away.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
pick up on a hint
pick up on body language
pick up on the tension
pick up on subtle changes
quick to pick up on things
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
She picked up on his sarcasm immediately. ✅ (Correct)
She picked his sarcasm up on immediately. ❌ (Incorrect)