as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
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Recent Examples of culling
But the troops won’t be culling the bears – they’re not allowed to under Japanese law.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Now, a controversial management strategy would involve culling more than 15,000 annually.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
The situation is so bleak that one SNAP-reliant tribal reservation in Montana has resorted to culling its buffalo herd for food.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
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 'Roadblocks' Hegseth in February fired the top uniformed lawyers, culling the armed forces' most senior ports of call for advice on whether orders are legal.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
It's also been culling its footprint of Go cashierless convenience stores.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Culver briefly covered women’s clubs until becoming the paper’s religion editor, a role that largely entailed culling wire copy and posting notices about church meetings.
—Susan Greene, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
But Kennedy has already propagated an insidious revolution within the agencies under his control, using a playbook familiar to illiberal leaders—culling expertise, silencing critics, and weaponizing administrative procedure to grant a veneer of legitimacy to his actions.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Now, a controversial management strategy would involve culling more than 15,000 annually.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
The situation is so bleak that one SNAP-reliant tribal reservation in Montana has resorted to culling its buffalo herd for food.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
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 'Roadblocks' Hegseth in February fired the top uniformed lawyers, culling the armed forces' most senior ports of call for advice on whether orders are legal.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
It's also been culling its footprint of Go cashierless convenience stores.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Culver briefly covered women’s clubs until becoming the paper’s religion editor, a role that largely entailed culling wire copy and posting notices about church meetings.
—Susan Greene, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
But Kennedy has already propagated an insidious revolution within the agencies under his control, using a playbook familiar to illiberal leaders—culling expertise, silencing critics, and weaponizing administrative procedure to grant a veneer of legitimacy to his actions.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culling
Verb
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According to researchers at Penn State’s Materials Research Institute, the characteristics of nanotubes can be precisely tuned by selecting specific atomic compositions.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
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Get the most from your investment by selecting trees that provide year-round beauty.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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When choosing a supplement, look for products independently tested or certified by organizations such as the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), United States Pharmacopeia (USP), or ConsumerLab.—
Nancy LeBrun,
Verywell Health,
6 Nov. 2025
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But that goes back to choosing whether to make the right decision or the wrong.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Trump did get the jitters, but responded, as The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait noted, not by caving on health care but by ranting about the filibuster, ultimately picking a different way of doubling down.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
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Kellenberger pivoted, hiking north until the winter weather hit, and picking back up in March 2025.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culling. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
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