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

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

This decision risks a reduction in the price dairy farmers receive for their cull cows and higher profits for foreign beef exporters, all for a potentially nominal decrease in the retail ground beef price. — Esme Murphy, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

This year’s feature lineup was culled from nearly 2,000 entries, winnowed over seven months to just a few dozen features, shorts, and other programming. — David Bloom, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The agency has dealt with homeowners illegally culling trees to improve their views in the past, but those are dwarfed by the scale of these poisonings, Cowen said. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026