6 Advanced Meanings of the English Phrasal Verb ‘Pick Up’

When you hear the phrasal verb pick up, what comes to mind?

Most people immediately think of the basics, to pick something up off the floor, or to pick someone up from the airport. And yes, those meanings are completely correct. But if you stop there, you’re missing out on some really useful, natural-sounding ways we use pick up in everyday English.

In fact, this tiny phrasal verb does a lot of heavy lifting, especially in conversations at work, or when describing things like progress, behaviour, or learning.

So let’s explore six slightly more advanced uses of pick up that will help you sound more fluent and confident in real-life English.

1. To Improve or Increase

We often use pick up when things start to get better, especially after a quiet or difficult period.

Think about sales, business, energy levels, the economy, even the weather!

Examples:

• Sales were slow at the start of the year, but they picked up in March.

• Things usually pick up in the summer when the tourists arrive.

• My energy picks up after I’ve had a coffee.

This is really common in business English, but you’ll hear it in everyday conversation too.

2. To Resume Something

This one’s great for meetings, projects, or even personal conversations.

Pick up can mean to continue something after a break, like hitting ‘pause’ and then ‘play’ again.

Examples:

• Let’s pick up where we left off last week.

• We’ll pick this up again after the holidays.

• Can we pick this conversation up tomorrow? I’ve got to run.

It’s casual, but sounds organised and professional at the same time.

3. To Take On Extra Work

In work settings, especially shift-based jobs, pick up often means to do someone else’s work or take on extra hours.

Examples:

• I picked up an extra shift this weekend to earn a bit more money.

• Can you pick up Lisa’s shift on Friday? She’s not feeling well.

This is a handy expression to know if you ever work in retail, hospitality, or anything flexible like that.

4. To Detect or Notice Something

Here’s one that sounds a little more technical. We use pick up to mean to detect, notice, or sense something — often a pattern, signal, or change in behaviour.

Examples:

• Our system picked up some unusual activity on your account.

• The app picks up your preferences and suggests content based on what you watch.

It’s especially common in tech and data, but you might hear it in casual conversation too, for example: I picked up on the fact that he wasn’t really listening.

5. To Answer the Phone

This one’s short and simple.

To pick up can just mean to answer a phone call.

Examples:

• I called you earlier. Why didn’t you pick up?

• Can someone pick up line two, please?

Useful in offices or when you’re leaving a voicemail message.

6. To Learn or Gain Knowledge

This is one of my favourites. We often use pick up to talk about learning something without formal lessons, by observing, practising, or just getting used to something over time.

Examples:

• She picked up the new system really quickly.

• I’ve started to pick up a bit of Spanish from my travels.

• It took me a while to get used to the new role, but I’m slowly picking it up.

It’s a lovely phrase because it captures that feeling of learning naturally, without pressure.

Pick up is one of those phrasal verbs that quietly shows up everywhere. Once you start noticing it, you’ll hear it all the time; in meetings, podcasts, conversations, news articles…

And the good news? You’ve already started picking it up.