pick-six

noun

1
: a system of betting (as on horse races) in which the bettor must pick the winners of six consecutive races
… is one of 42 individuals holding the 78 tickets that legitimately had five out of six winners in the Breeders' Cup pick-six wager.Bill Finley
2
football : an interception returned by the intercepting team for a touchdown
By halftime he had thrown two interceptions—the second a 69-yard pick-six to outside linebacker and Most Valuable Player Malcolm Smith …S. L. Price

Examples of pick-six in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There was the back-to-back interception game against Rutgers in 2022 when Barrett took his second interception to the house for a pick-six. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2024 That came after Johnson had a career-high four interceptions, including a pick-six, and 10 passes defended in his fourth season in 2023. Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024 Tampa Bay picked off league MVP Rich Gannon five times, three of those swipes of the pick-six variety. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024 After losing the starting job to Ethan Garbers before the season, then winning it after one game, then losing it again amid three consecutive games with a pick-six, Moore ended the season as Garbers’ backup. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023 Purdy’s second pass, intended for Aiyuk, went directly to Savage, who had a 64-yard pick-six in the previous week’s win over Dallas. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024 Mahomes, 28, threw a costly pick-six in the first quarter and finished the game with 27 completions, 235 yards passing and one passing touchdown. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 25 Dec. 2023 Branch dashed 50 yards down the left sideline for a pick-six touchdown: 14-14. Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023 He was replaced as the starter by Ethan Garbers after a string of three consecutive games with a pick-six. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pick-six.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pick-six was in 1980

Dictionary Entries Near pick-six

Cite this Entry

“Pick-six.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick-six. Accessed 20 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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