To save this word, you'll need to log in.
\ ˈkəl 
\
\culled; culling; culls
Definition of cull
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
cull
nounDefinition of cull (Entry 2 of 2)
: something rejected especially as being inferior or worthless
… how to separate good-looking pecans from culls. — The Washington Post
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for cull
Synonyms: Verb
- cherry-pick,
- choose,
- elect,
- handpick,
- name,
- opt (for),
- pick,
- prefer,
- select,
- single (out),
- tag,
- take
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
Visit the Thesaurus for More
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
See More
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb After four elimination rounds, the surviving 12 short films (culled from an initial international lineup of about 50) will be shown, with the audience then voting for its favorite.
—
Chris Kaltenbach, baltimoresun.com, "Things to do in Baltimore this week: Washington Monument lighting, a Victorian Baltimore take on Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Night of 100 Elvises," 1 Dec. 2019 Here are the five questions that are being discussed within college athletics this week, with information culled from seven people across the coaching industry who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
—
Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "College football coaches on the move: Five questions as changes loom," 27 Nov. 2019 Simon said culling is just a kinder word than killing.
—
cleveland, "Public shares thoughts on South Euclid’s deer population," 26 Nov. 2019 And earnings of 78 cents a share - 74 cents after culling out the effects of one-time events - were well short of the 86-cent average predicted by analysts.
—
Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Same-store sales rise for Kohl's, but earnings guidance drops sharply and stock plunges," 19 Nov. 2019 Roll out: Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, announced that an elections systems vendor had improperly flagged more than 1,600 people for culling from the voter rolls, the Columbus Dispatch’s Doug Caruso and Rick Rouan report.
—
cleveland.com, "Midwest states are paying more attention to PFAs in drinking water: The Flyover," 26 Aug. 2019 The National Park Service released a controversial proposal Thursday that would provide relief to the historic Point Reyes ranches by culling tule elk and quadrupling the lease terms for the working lands.
—
Will Houston, The Mercury News, "U.S. releases controversial plan for Point Reyes elk, ranches," 9 Aug. 2019 Few in Paris can beat the Costes brothers at attracting the human plumage the French refer to as people, pronounced pee-pole—though in the past L’Avenue has been accused of culling its waiting flock a bit too selectively.
—
Joshua Levine, WSJ, "Saks Doubles Down on Department Stores With New Restaurant in New York City," 15 Jan. 2019 After culling the paddock for a consensus, that is what the series concluded would please the most teams while maintaining the integrity of the race.
—
Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Why did IndyCar let teams refuel before restart at Alabama?," 23 Apr. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun My father looks at multiple sources across cultures and times, at lots of art, design, and ornamentation and culls from that.
—
BostonGlobe.com, "WELLESLEY — Kanishka Raja, a painter who died last year at 49 from cancer, forcefully and exuberantly made art that dissolved boundaries. The work now feels urgent, and like a salve.," 24 Oct. 2019 An outbreak of African swine fever last year has led to massive culls of pigs in the country in recent months, sending pork prices up 47% from a year earlier in August.
—
Echo Huang, Quartz, "China’s lamenting the price of pork through Douyin videos," 10 Sep. 2019 Officials claim that culls are necessary to protect fruit growers’ crops.
—
Rachel Nuwer, National Geographic, "These endangered bats are being killed by the thousands—here’s why," 1 Mar. 2019 The British press made note of the 'Godfather' reference days after the interview when Johnson ruthlessly fired 11 senior ministers after winning the leadership election, one of the biggest culls in British history.
—
NBC News, "'The Godfather' director dismayed he may have inspired Boris Johnson's Brexit plan," 13 Sep. 2019 The cull of Democratic presidential candidates is underway.
—
Chris Morris, Fortune, "How to Watch Tonight’s Democratic Debate Online for Free—Even Without Cable," 12 Sep. 2019 This led to the cull of almost 1.2 million pigs to stop the spread of the virus, which is highly contagious and fatal in pigs.
—
Washington Post, "China loves its pork but prices are rising and that could be a problem," 5 Sep. 2019 But the cull was celebrated by a number of Johnson's allies and pro-Brexit lawmakers, who had grown exasperated by the standstill in Parliament that has so far prevented Britain's departure from the EU.
—
Rob Picheta, CNN, "Winston Churchill's grandson expelled from Conservative Party by Boris Johnson in wake of Brexit crisis," 4 Sep. 2019 On Wednesday, Johnson and his acolytes performed a ministerial cull of a brutality rarely seen in Westminster.
—
Marie Le Conte, Quartz, "Boris Johnson’s cabinet shows us exactly what kind of leader he will be," 25 July 2019
See MoreThese 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for cull
cull
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of cull
: to select or choose (someone or something) from a group
: to control the size of (a group of animals) by killing some animals
See the full definition for cull in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cull
verb\ ˈkəl \
\culled; culling
Kids Definition of cull
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to select from a group
The best poems were culled from her collection.
2 : to identify and remove less desirable members from
cull sheep from a flock
cull
nounKids Definition of cull (Entry 2 of 2)
: something rejected from a group because it is not as good as the rest
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on cull
What made you want to look up cull? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
- Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz - Semantic Drift Quiz
A challenging quiz of changing words.
Take the quiz - Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz - Add Diction
Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.
Play the game
Share cull
Time Traveler for cull
The first known use of cull was in the 13th century
See more words from the same century