Synonyms of cull

cull 1 of 2

noun

as in discard

something separated from a group or lot for not being as good as the others

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discard
• second
• reject
• rejection
• rubbish
• trash
• waste
• scrap
• castaway
• throwaway
• white elephant
• hand-me-down

cull

2 of 2

verb

ˈkəl 

as in to select

to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities

culled the best short stories from the author's body of writings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• select
• choose
• pick
• take
• elect
• prefer
• name
• tag
• designate
• handpick
• cherry-pick
• single (out)
• opt (for)
• nominate
• adopt
• appoint
• accept
• tap
• set
• preselect
• mark
• embrace
• tab
• espouse
• settle (on or upon)
• fix

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• refuse
• reject
• decline
• turn down
• negative
• disapprove
• discard
• repudiate
• throw away
• spurn
• throw out
• jettison

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cull

Noun

Hurzeler values 36-year-old Steele’s dressing room input, which is even more relevant now after a summer cull of the core group of experienced professionals. — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Both Livonia and Beverly Hills city councils are discussing a deer cull, following the lead of Southfield, Farmington and Farmington Hills, which held the region’s first cull earlier this year. — Susan Bromley, Freep.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

Altai’s natural resources ministry said more than 50 bears were killed following the tourist’s death in August, with permits issued to cull another 157. — Arina Porkhovnik, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026

In fact, when the Chicago Horror Film Festival begins Friday at Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema in Lakeview, its schedule of 150 films — mostly shorts, a few features — will have been culled from more than 650 submissions. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026