Question 1

What does "pick away at" mean?

Accepted Answer

To make slow but steady progress on a task or problem.

Question 2

How do you use "pick away at" in a sentence?

Accepted Answer

She picked away at the mountain of paperwork until it was all done.

Question 3

Is "pick away at" formal or informal?

Accepted Answer

"pick away at" is register-neutral — appropriate in both casual and formal contexts. Often used to describe persistent, patient effort over time. Can be used positively (steadily making progress) or negatively (persistent criticism or erosion of something). Common in both spoken and written informal English. Often used with abstract nouns like 'confidence', 'problem', 'lead', or 'task'.

pick away at

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