pick away at

verb

To continually or inexorably harm someone; to continue to do harm; to needle over time; to weaken someone over time.

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Meanings

verbpick away at (third-person singular simple present picks away at, present participle picking away at, simple past and past participle picked away at)

present singular third person picks away at · participle present picking away at · participle past picked away at · past picked away at

  1. To continually or inexorably harm someone; to continue to do harm; to needle over time; to weaken someone over time.
Cite this entry
APA

pick away at. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pick%20away%20at

MLA

“pick away at.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pick%20away%20at. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pick away at,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pick%20away%20at.

Source: pick away at on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.