as in shaving
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree
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Recent Examples of pruning
To minimize infection, always clean and sterilize pruning equipment between plants.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Flowering woody shrubs that bloom on new wood tolerate or thrive on fairly aggressive pruning, while those that bloom on old wood require more careful, restrained pruning.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 May 2026
Watering and pruning For irrigation, a standard garden hose works well.
—Yolanda Harris, AJC.com, 28 May 2026
With enough time, this can reliably transfer useful capabilities while pruning less important weights from the model.
—ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026
There are many day-to-day tasks that help keep a plant healthy, including pruning, fertilizing, mulching, and more.
—Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 28 May 2026
These are usually fungal infections that have entered though wounds caused by pests, pruning or flexing of ligustrum limbs.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 May 2026
This easy task is known as thumb pruning and facilitates keeping the bush open to air and sun.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025
Anvil pruners shine when pruning thicker dead wood.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2025
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Flowering woody shrubs that bloom on new wood tolerate or thrive on fairly aggressive pruning, while those that bloom on old wood require more careful, restrained pruning.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 May 2026
Watering and pruning For irrigation, a standard garden hose works well.
—Yolanda Harris, AJC.com, 28 May 2026
With enough time, this can reliably transfer useful capabilities while pruning less important weights from the model.
—ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026
There are many day-to-day tasks that help keep a plant healthy, including pruning, fertilizing, mulching, and more.
—Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 28 May 2026
These are usually fungal infections that have entered though wounds caused by pests, pruning or flexing of ligustrum limbs.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 May 2026
This easy task is known as thumb pruning and facilitates keeping the bush open to air and sun.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025
Anvil pruners shine when pruning thicker dead wood.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pruning
Verb
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The people who stand to gain the most from this record-setting refresh rate are high-level competitors with PCs that can push extremely high frame rates, for whom shaving down the smallest fractions of latency can make a real difference.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 May 2026
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In practical terms, that is roughly a 1–2 percent reduction in total mission velocity change, which is the equivalent of shaving a few liters off every hundred liters in a long-distance road trip.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Protective measures range from trimming at-risk tree branches to replacing flimsy exterior doors with stronger ones.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Michael is stepping into a really key role trimming the wing, which is probably one of the harder roles on the F50.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Or are the Red Sox better off cutting their losses, selling their pending free agents and looking ahead to 2027?—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
For fiscal year 2026, the administration proposed cutting NOAA’s budget by roughly 25 percent and eliminating the agency's research arm, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the division that houses much of its climate work.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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There was also, again strangely, slightly more clipping on show in very bright areas in the Bravia 9 II’s Standard and Movie presets than there was on the original Bravia 9, even though the Bravia 9 II actually displayed less clipping than its predecessor in Professional mode.—
John Archer,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Manager Dave Roberts said the ball mostly hit the pad on Ohtani's hand before clipping his pinkie finger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Yard Work and Outdoor Help Summer is the perfect season for simple neighborhood jobs like helping water plants, pulling weeds, mowing lawns, and helping others with light outdoor chores.—
VaNessa Duplessie,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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On a major league baseball field, the mowing direction plays a big part in creating the intricate outfield designs and signature stripes in the lawn.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pruning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pruning. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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