cull

play

verb \ ˈkəl \

Definition of cull

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) of especially weaker animals; also :to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

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

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culler

noun

See cull defined for English-language learners

See cull defined for kids

Examples of cull in a Sentence

He culls his herd annually.
The town issued hunting licenses in order to cull the deer population.

Recent Examples of cull from the Web

For those planning to attend, here are various tips—culled from previous years with some new ones thrown in.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "51 Insider Tips for Attending the U.S. Open," 21 Aug. 2017
At McConnell's urging, Trump released lists of more than 20 potential nominees, names that were culled by Trump's advisers from discussions with the Federalist Society, the conservative group focused on judicial matters that is close to McConnell.

— john wagner, chicagotribune.com, "Trump again attacks McConnell for failure on health-care reform," 10 Aug. 2017
Local authorities started trying to cull the birds in 2012.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "The Worst Birds," 26 July 2017
The tougher part is figuring out which weddings to cull from your list.

— charlotte cowles, The Cut, "How to Survive Wedding Season When You’re Broke," 20 July 2017
And culling healthy fire salamanders around outbreaks, which might delay Bsal's spread, could face public objections.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "A fungus is attacking Europe’s most beloved salamander. It could wreak havoc if it gets to North America," 19 July 2017
Fredette and his fellow tastemakers begin by drawing up a list of 200 potential offerings, which are culled and refined until typically only three to five remain.

— laura entis, Fortune, "Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Maker: Get Ready for Kombucha-Inspired Ice Cream," 16 July 2017
CBO projected that the sweeping spending reductions on anti-poverty programs, housing, environmental protection, and a number of other initiatives that the White House wants to cull back would still not be enough to eliminate the deficit by 2027.

— ben estes, NOLA.com, "White House budget wouldn't eliminate deficit or do much to grow economy, CBO says," 13 July 2017
The university culled its alumni database to find and invite 2,641 alums ages 25 to 35 who were living in the Twin Cities; about 225 Blugolds showed up at the game.

— karen herzog, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Eau Claire is more than Eaux Claires: It's home to millennials," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cull.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.