Cherry-pick

Pronunciation varies by accent · verb

Meaning

(idiomatic) To pick out the best or most desirable items from a list or group, especially to obtain some advantage or to present something in the best possible light..

Definitions by Sense

1. (idiomatic) To pick out the best or most desirable items from a list or group, especially to obtain some advantage or to present something in the best possible light.
2. (rhetoric, logic, by extension) To select only evidence which supports an argument, and reject or ignore contradictory evidence.
3. (US, idiomatic, sports) To position oneself near the opponent's goal to attempt to receive an errant or intentional pass for an easy score, as in basketball or versions of soccer where offsides are not enforced.
4. (US, idiomatic, broadcasting) To broadcast selected programming from another network.
5. (software engineering) In source control, to commit selected changes from one branch to another.

Example Sentences

Screeners can help you cherry-pick a promising group of stocks that meet your exact specifications.

"We're not offering you a chance to cherry-pick the Caerphilly Zoo to fill in the gaps in your own collection.

In time The Simpsons would, indeed, resort to spoofing such decidedly non-spooktacular fare like E.T and Mr. And Mrs. Smith (both in “Treehouse Of Horror XVIII”) but in 1992 the field was wide-open and the show could cherry-pick the most iconic and beloved fright fare of all time.

The situation became more acute as road competition began to grow during the 1930s. A national road network was built, and road hauliers could cherry-pick the most profitable movements.

From all the available statistics, the politician cherry-picked only those that backed up his ideas.

2001, Ian St. John in sci.environment You are *asking* for a specific *subset* of the data to *prove* a specific theory. That is 'cherry picking'. It is no more valid to 'cherry pick' data to disprove global warming than it is to 'cherry pick' data to prove it. That is *science*. You *must* deal with the entire data set. What part of this is not clear?

The reason for this concentration is to attempt to alleviate the problems of fragmentation which usually accompany the study of retailing, particularly at the end of the early period, and has so often happened in the past, to curtail the temptation to 'cherry-pick' the best evidence from a wide, but not necessarily related, area.

Yes, I do think in principle it is a good idea to have clearing houses where data is assessed and has as objective an account as possible given of the data because of the tendency of all organisations to cherry-pick those studies which may support a pre-existing position.

Synonyms for cherry-pick

Antonyms for cherry-pick

Related Words

Word Forms

• cherry-picks
• cherry-picking
• cherry-picked
• cherry pick
• cherrypick

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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