pick on — treat someone unfairly or bully them
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+informalcommon
To repeatedly treat someone in an unkind or unfair way, often by criticizing, teasing, or bullying them.
Say it like a native
Textbook The older boys repeatedly subjected him to unfair treatment.
Native The older boys kept picking on him.
'Pick on' is the everyday verb for bullying; the formal version is wordy.
Pattern: pick on + someone
In use
- The older kids used to pick on me at school because I wore glasses.daily life
- In my opinion, teachers should step in if they see students picking on someone, because it can really affect a person's confidence.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Why are you always picking me?
✓ Why are you always picking on me?
'Pick ON someone' = bully; 'pick someone' = select them. Don't drop 'on'.
Common collocations
pick on + victim— the new kid, someone smaller, me, him
Don't confuse it
Do not confuse with 'pick up', which means to collect or lift something.