pick off

US /pɪk ɔf/
UK /pɪk ɔf/
"pick off" picture
1.

to shoot and kill a person or animal, especially one of a group, by aiming carefully

:
•
The sniper managed to pick off the enemy leader from a distance.
•
The hawk would often pick off smaller birds from the flock.
:
eliminatekillshoottake outsnipe
2.

to remove something from a surface or a group, often one by one

:
•
She carefully began to pick off the dead leaves from the plant.
•
The children would pick off the berries one by one and eat them.
:
removedetachplucktake off
:
pickpickingpick atpick onpick uppick outdraft pick