cull

1 of 2

verb

ˈkəl 

culled; culling; culls

transitive verb

1

: to select from a group : choose

culled the best passages from the poet's work

Damaged fruits are culled before the produce is shipped.

2

: to reduce or control the size of (something, such as a herd) by removal (as by hunting or slaughter) of especially weak or sick individuals

The town issued hunting licenses in order to cull the deer population.

culling a herd of cattle

also : to hunt or kill (individuals) for culling

culling diseased cows

culled hundreds of deer

culler noun

culler

2 of 2

noun

cull·​er ˈkə-lər 

plural -s

: one that culls: such as

a

: one who inspects barrel staves

b

: one who examines poultry to detect inferior layers

c

: a scaler of logs

d

: one who picks out imperfect cookies or cakes in a bakery

Synonyms of cull

Verb

• select
• choose
• pick
• take

Examples of cull in a Sentence

Verb

He culls his herd annually.

The town issued hunting licenses in order to cull the deer population.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Present-day Apocalypse is constantly trying to cull the herd of the weak so that only the strong survive. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026

Food and drink From local seafood and veggies culled from the island to Japanese fare by Iron Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, the food is a highlight here. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026

Ask YouTube pulled up step by step instructions apparently culled from YouTube videos, and the user could click in to jump right to the most relevant part of the video. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026

These were culled by Dean Logan, the county’s Registrar-Recorder, then the remaining pool were chosen at random. —Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 19 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French culier, coillir, from Latin colligere to bind together — more at collect

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cull

• dull
• gul
• gull
• lull
• null
• scull
• skull
• stull
• trull
• tulle
• seagull

Kids Definition

cull

1 of 2 verb

ˈkəl 

1

: to select from a group : choose

2

: to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal of usually weaker animals

a hunt to cull the growing deer population

culler noun

cull

2 of 2 noun

: something rejected from a group or lot as being not as good as the rest