French word

piocher

Pronunciation

IPA/pjoʃe/

Meaning

  • verbdraw

Example

Je pioche une carte.

I draw a card.

Illustration for piocher (draw)

More examples

Il a pioché dans ses économies pour payer la réparation.

He dipped into his savings to pay for the repair.

Core concept

A hand or tool takes one item from a pile or loosens earth piece by piece.

Common phrases

  • piocher une carte

    draw a card

  • piocher au hasard

    pick at random

  • piocher dans ses économies

    dip into one's savings

Similar words

tirer: An object is pulled toward oneself or upward to remove it.
prendre: Something is taken and kept as one's own.
sortir: An item is removed from within a space or container.
ramasser: Objects lying on the floor or ground are picked up and gathered.

Definition in French

Prendre ou extraire par un mouvement de tirage un élément d'un ensemble, souvent d'un paquet de cartes ou d'un tas ; peut aussi signifier gratter ou creuser la terre.

Word origin

The verb comes from the noun pioche, meaning pickaxe, and developed from tool-based digging to taking an item from a pile or pack.

Usage tips

  • The direct-object pattern is piocher une carte, while piocher dans un paquet or a pile names the source.

Other meanings

  • digverb
  • peckverb
  • pickverb

Opposites

Related words

  • piochagedrawingnoun
  • piochédrawnadjective

Word lists with this word