pick a fight
idiom
: to deliberately start a fight with someone
It would be foolish to pick a fight with that guy.
Examples of pick a fight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Take the high road if someone tries to pick a fight.
—
Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
The last thing Miranda needed during this period of stress and fear was responsibility for a dog ready to pick a fight with every stray leaf in his path.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
Lower-ranking chimps are sometimes wary of coming inside with more dominant chimps, who might steal or pick a fight over the rewards.
—Emily Anthes Emil T. Lippe, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2023
Each time, over the course of the evening, the wife begins trying to pick a fight with her husband.
—Amy Dickinson, Anchorage Daily News, 23 June 2023
Time will tell if that is enough to push an angry Freedom Caucus member to pick a fight with the speaker.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 1 June 2023
Alexander Bick, who was director for Syria in President Barack Obama’s National Security Council, said that Russia may have political reasons to pick a fight now.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2020
Time will tell if that is enough to push an angry Freedom Caucus member to pick a fight with the speaker.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 1 June 2023
Most hummingbird species aren’t afraid to pick a fight, and white-necked jacobins, which range from Mexico to Brazil, are no exception.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Sep. 2021
Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
The last thing Miranda needed during this period of stress and fear was responsibility for a dog ready to pick a fight with every stray leaf in his path.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
Lower-ranking chimps are sometimes wary of coming inside with more dominant chimps, who might steal or pick a fight over the rewards.
—Emily Anthes Emil T. Lippe, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2023
Each time, over the course of the evening, the wife begins trying to pick a fight with her husband.
—Amy Dickinson, Anchorage Daily News, 23 June 2023
Time will tell if that is enough to push an angry Freedom Caucus member to pick a fight with the speaker.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 1 June 2023
Alexander Bick, who was director for Syria in President Barack Obama’s National Security Council, said that Russia may have political reasons to pick a fight now.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2020
Time will tell if that is enough to push an angry Freedom Caucus member to pick a fight with the speaker.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 1 June 2023
Most hummingbird species aren’t afraid to pick a fight, and white-necked jacobins, which range from Mexico to Brazil, are no exception.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pick a fight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pick a fight
Cite this Entry
“Pick a fight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick%20a%20fight. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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