cherry-picking

verb

present participle of cherry-pick
as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities cherry-picked the spacious corner office for his corporate fief

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cherry-picking Families spent Mother's Day filling buckets and making memories at Dell'Osso Farms in Lathrop, where crowds gathered Sunday for cherry-picking season in the heart of California's top cherry-producing county. — Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 11 May 2026 Cha chaan tengs grew in popularity, cherry-picking elements from all three restaurants to create a new type of cuisine. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026 But most of this research is co-authored by Sikiric, who holds several patents related to BPC-157, and some experts have accused him of cherry-picking evidence. — Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 The Justice Department has pushed back on the defense suggestion that Bondi continues to profit from Ballard’s ongoing representation of UnitedHealth Group and accused Mangione’s lawyers of creating such a misimpression by cherry-picking language from her public financial disclosure report. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026 Vartkessian renders them neither clinically nor sensationally—a fine line to walk—and cherry-picking details for this review feels grossly reductive, like a thumbnail sketch of a scene of desolation. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025 Following Democrats’ release, Republicans accused Democrats of cherry-picking the emails, later releasing a tranche of 20,000 pages of documents both sides received from the Epstein estate last week. — Emily Brooks, The Hill, 13 Nov. 2025 More than 85 scientists denounced the report, accusing officials of cherry-picking facts and figures to allow for the administration’s fossil fuel ambitions. — Solcyré Burga, Time, 23 Sep. 2025 Sisters Mackinley and Taylor Hill are taking inspiration from their own lives and cherry-picking a collection of juicy new jewelry for their debut line, Stone Fruit. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cherry-picking
  1. selecting
  2. choosing
  3. picking
Verb
  • The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners will be tasked with selecting the department’s new leader.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Justice Department joined the UCLA medical school suit in January and issued a finding in May accusing the school of intentionally considering race in selecting students.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of selecting
Verb
  • Many questioned the Dodgers choosing to pitch Skubal in Saturday’s opener while slotting Blake Snell into Sunday’s spot and leaving last season’s playoff hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the bench until Game 3.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The screen just isn't that colorful, which puts it at a disadvantage for everything from designing a flyer to choosing the right photo for a social media post.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of choosing
Verb
  • For owners, picking the right capital provider is a major decision that can shape the future of their enterprise.
    — Frank Williamson, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Florida Lottery players went one for four on Wednesday’s big money draw game jackpots, the lone winner picking the numbers at a Publix.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of picking

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Cite this Entry

“Cherry-picking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cherry-picking. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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