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

cull

2 of 2

noun

: something rejected especially as being inferior or worthless

… how to separate good-looking pecans from culls.

—The Washington Post

Synonyms

Verb

• select
• choose
• pick
• take

Noun

• discard
• second
• reject

Examples of cull in a Sentence

Verb

He culls his herd annually.

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

Noun

the unbruised apples will be packed in bags, and the culls will be used for cider

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After some pink-slipping and culling (hello, Stephen Colbert) by the previous Shari Redstone regime, Ellison’s Skydance did receive quick regulatory approval of the $8 billion Paramount purchase once the corporate scalpings were done. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025

The heavy-metal legends spent this past summer on the European run of their half-century trek, which features an all-favorites set list culled from Iron Maiden’s first nine studio albums. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025

Noun

Glassberg Sands is holding out hope that frontline employees will be safe from the cull, but as more human skills are targeted for automation, there could be drastic effects on the careers of recent grads. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025

This bass species had the genes for a range of survival strategies before the culls started, Zarri says. —Martin J. Kernan, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

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

Noun

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cull

• dull
• gul
• gull
• lull
• ndebele
• 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