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
Wear gloves to protect yourself when pruning, and be mindful of children or pets playing near your yuzu tree.
—
Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 7 June 2026
Otherwise, this trailing beauty doesn’t need deadheading or pruning.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
Prune Properly Selectively pruning your roses opens up plant structure for better branch spacing.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2026
However, refrain from pruning when new growth starts.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 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
Work pruning and removing trees began in the fall and is expected to be finished in early Spring 2025, officials said.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2025
During sleep, scientists suspect that our bodies and brains are replenishing energy stores, flushing waste and toxins, pruning synapses and consolidating memories.
—Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024
Just as pruning stimulates new plant growth, releasing what no longer serves us creates space for fresh opportunities.
—Jennifer Kamara, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 7 June 2026
Otherwise, this trailing beauty doesn’t need deadheading or pruning.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
Prune Properly Selectively pruning your roses opens up plant structure for better branch spacing.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2026
However, refrain from pruning when new growth starts.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 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
Work pruning and removing trees began in the fall and is expected to be finished in early Spring 2025, officials said.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2025
During sleep, scientists suspect that our bodies and brains are replenishing energy stores, flushing waste and toxins, pruning synapses and consolidating memories.
—Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024
Just as pruning stimulates new plant growth, releasing what no longer serves us creates space for fresh opportunities.
—Jennifer Kamara, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pruning
Verb
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Fairley also admitted Thursday to placing wagers and recruiting and bribing college basketball players to underperform in games in a separate NCAA point-shaving case brought by federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
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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
Verb
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Maintaining your yard by mowing, removing leaf litter, and trimming vegetation reduces tick habitats.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
Here where to find more information on tree trimming policies.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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There is also more cutting required of bloomed flowers to initiate another flush, and more cleaning up and cutting secondary branches in spring.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
-
Barr rightly notes that current capital standards were already near the low end of what academic research identifies as optimal; cutting further tips the balance toward fragility, not strength.—
Mayra Rodriguez Valladares,
Forbes.com,
6 June 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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Although some of the grass blades grow back, the turf rejuvenates itself after every mowing thanks to tillers or new leaves that arise from root crowns.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
-
Maintaining your yard by mowing, removing leaf litter, and trimming vegetation reduces tick habitats.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pruning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pruning. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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