process of elimination

noun phrase

: the act of considering and rejecting each possible choice until only one is left
She figured out who he was by (the) process of elimination.

Examples of process of elimination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Go through the process of elimination to find your forte. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 In some cases, process of elimination might help fans narrow dates down, if only slightly. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Feb. 2024 That process of elimination and redistribution is repeated until two candidates remain and then, the candidate with the most votes wins. Natalie Brand, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2024 After an exhaustive process of elimination, scientists singled out a sizable layer of electrically conductive fluid—that is, a salty liquid-water ocean—as the signal’s only plausible explanation. Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 7 Feb. 2024 The process of elimination then led them to botulism—a condition that explained all of his symptoms. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2024 Decisions were often reached by process of elimination or sheer exhaustion; Hader wrote the finale’s script on weekends between directing all of the season’s other episodes. Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2023 Then there’s the process of elimination, which will have some at the edge of their seat. Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 11 Apr. 2023

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

Dictionary Entries Near process of elimination

Cite this Entry

“Process of elimination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/process%20of%20elimination. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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