as in to cull
to remove less desirable choices from a group or list
They winnowed the pool of applicants down to a few of the strongest candidates. I tried to winnow out the options that weren't a good value for the price.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of winnow
The museum has closed and the entire Klairmont collection — which in recent years was winnowed down to 284 cars — will be sold by Mecum Auctions.
—
Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Overnight, this winnowed the field.
—Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Trump has expressed an interest in winnowing the field of candidates so that one person can take Mamdani head-on.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
And his anxieties seem propelled by a fear of winnowing potential, the feeling that he might be left behind.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Overnight, this winnowed the field.
—Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Trump has expressed an interest in winnowing the field of candidates so that one person can take Mamdani head-on.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
And his anxieties seem propelled by a fear of winnowing potential, the feeling that he might be left behind.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Take their recent turn on the Academy Museum Gala red carpet; Bieber opted for a sculptural corset dress by Schiaparelli, while Kendall went pared back in a black dress by The Row.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
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Automakers Hyundai and Kia saw gains of around 12% and 9% respectively, before paring gains.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Add trimmed and halved fresh green beans, and cook for 8 minutes.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Nov. 2025
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How dare this newcomer suggest that the towering maple between their properties be trimmed or cut down?—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The veteran coach believes the solution to the problem is to cut some games off the 82-game schedule, a view shared by Cleveland Cavaliers coach (and former Kerr assistant) Kenny Atkinson, who recently advocated for a 72-game season.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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The 10-year Treasury yield was little changed Friday following this week’s interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve and the central bank’s more hawkish tone on future policy.—
Sean Conlon,Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tax rises would likely act as another damper on inflation by reducing consumer demand.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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Researchers also stressed that the synergistic effect of K+ and C3N4 co-intercalation lowers the energy barrier, reduces the electrostatic interaction, and enhances the kinetics and structural stability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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To overcome the challenge, the scientists used state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to sift through massive amounts of data, separating the elusive tWZ signal from background noise.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
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In Talisay city, survivors sift through the destruction, hoping to salvage what little remains.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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