Phrase guide

pick a fight

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˌpɪk ə ˈfaɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To deliberately provoke someone into fighting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pick a quarrel

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: haastaa riitaa — Translations
  • German: Streit suchen — Translations
  • Ancient Greek: ἅπτομαι μάχης (háptomai mákhēs) — Translations
  • Italian: attaccare briga — Translations
  • Portuguese: procurar briga — Translations
  • Portuguese: comprar brigar — Translations
  • Spanish: buscar una pelea — Translations
  • Spanish: provocar una pelea — Translations
  • Spanish: iniciar una pelea — Translations
  • Tày: cà khí — Translations
  • Vietnamese: cà khịa — Translations