pickle

noun

ˈpi-kəl How to pronounce pickle (audio)
Definition of picklenext
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape well, this is a bit of a pickle we've gotten ourselves into

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pickle Vegans can also get in on the fun combinations; the Big Mack is loaded with Impossible Burger, vegan mozzarella and Thousand Island dressing, pickles, white onion, iceberg lettuce and sesame seeds. — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 18 Aug. 2026 This is the ideal cut for stir-fries, ratatouille, or zucchini pickles. — Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Aug. 2026 That resulted in a pickle, and Lombard becoming the second out of the inning. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026 Allen, the runner on second, bolted for third and found himself in a pickle when Adames threw to third baseman Christian Koss. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pickle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickle
  1. predicament
  2. dilemma
  3. hole
  4. bind
  5. swamp
  6. jam
Noun
  • Perhaps cognisant of the last time one of his fighters — fellow British heavyweight Fabio Wardley — was in a similar predicament during his bout against Dubois in May.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • While few family businesses are like the Lakers, the broad strokes of the Buss family's predicament are familiar, according to lawyers who spoke to CNBC.
    — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of predicament
Noun
  • Getty Images The plight of the A’s in Oakland and the Rays in Tampa Bay has been a Major League Baseball dilemma for decades, spanning the careers of the last two commissioners, Rob Manfred and Bud Selig.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Gaines and White talked at length at halftime of Friday’s game about their convictions on the trans in women’s sports dilemma.
    — Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of dilemma
Noun
  • McIlroy surged into the top-10 on Saturday with a 7-under 63, powered by nine birdies, including three in his final four holes.
    — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers engineered an additional GaN layer that naturally creates a second sheet containing mobile holes, called a two-dimensional hole gas, or 2DHG.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of hole
Noun
  • Feasting on neutrality Few illustrate the current bind better than Caitlin Clark.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Hightower high lord and his armies have occupied Tumbleton and have Rhaenyra in something of a bind.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of bind
Noun
  • Spending more time crafting weak-salsa anti-Latino jokes than improving the lives of Latinos — that’s the racist swamp the president and his team happily fester in.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • They can also be found in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, scrub brush, swamps and deserts.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • Padres closer Mason Miller allowed two baserunners and barely escaped a ninth-inning jam while facing his hometown team on his 28th birthday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • As on the age-old original, the first half of the six-minute track was sweeping in its use of orchestral augmentation, and then the second half put aside both strings and vocals to turn into a pure band jam.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of jam

Browse Nearby Words

picking up on
pickle
pickled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickle. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pickle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pickle

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