winnow

verb

Definition of winnownext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of winnow The number of options could initially stretch into the billions as the league winnowed down the choices. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 28 July 2026 The board winnowed down its list from six semifinalists to two in a vote at a special meeting held Tuesday. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026 But for three contests — Assembly District 67, Assembly District 68 and Assembly District 72 — the June 2 primary was needed to winnow the field. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 7 July 2026 The first knockout round continues through Friday night, when the field will be winnowed to 16 teams. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
  1. cull
  2. trim
  3. cut
  4. pare
  5. sift
  6. reduce
  7. discard
Verb
  • Altai’s natural resources ministry said more than 50 bears were killed following the tourist’s death in August, with permits issued to cull another 157.
    — Arina Porkhovnik, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The fastest-growing area is a cluster of skills involving AI agents, according to Draup, which culls data from public job posts and platforms including LinkedIn.
    — Hugh Son, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of cull
Verb
  • San Diego won 4-3 on Tuesday night to avoid elimination and trim Milwaukee’s lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Rather than trimming that weight, Fukushima's lab asked whether anything needed to be worn at all.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of trim
Verb
  • Inspectors observed cutting boards with cut marks and no longer cleanable in the first-floor kitchen.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Ellison has taken an opposing view from his predecessors who confronted crumbling industry economics by cutting expenditures to boost their corporate bottom lines.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • Related Stories Skydance has a tight runway through the end of 2029 to significantly pare down the long-term debt on the company’s books.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Since their debut in 1986, American Girl has shrunk their historical line significantly–including paring down the traditional six-book set for each historical character into two streamlined texts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pare
Verb
  • Lowen must move into the Crawford family’s foreboding Vermont lake house to flirt with her husband sift through Verity’s notes and embody her voice.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 6 Oct. 2026
  • For a category definitions refresher, sift through our clue glossary.
    — Vulture, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sift
Verb
  • Slickwater uses a mix of water, sand, and thin, friction-reducing chemicals rather than thicker gels to shatter dense shale rock deep underground and free the gas.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Choudri told the board during the hearing that the agency had adopted measures to reduce consultant costs.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of reduce
Verb
  • Technologies, markets, laws and cultural assumptions all determine what is discarded, what is kept and why.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The Radical Approach​ Generally, a semiconductor wafer (up to 12 inches in diameter) is diced up into chips or dies, and any defective parts of the wafer can be discarded.
    — Nandan Nayampally, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of discard

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Cite this Entry

“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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