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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Privates and noncommissioned officers were culled from stateside divisions, trained as riflemen, and sent overseas.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
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On Wednesday, the Jets practiced on what appeared to be a makeshift field culled together for the Browns last week, surrounded by trees and not much else.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So getting to pare it down and get to the essence of all the 20 incredible songs that were there also had a powerful effect on the show.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
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Spot silver surpassed the $50 mark for the first time last week before paring gains.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Royal Navy crew achieved the major milestone as part of HMS Agamemnon’s ‘trim dive’, a three-day period of testing in the town’s Devonshire Dock to prove the attack vessel’s stability and safety.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
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Brockman electrocuted while trimming trees On the day he was electrocuted, Brockman and his work crew were removing limbs that were close to Evergy power lines, the lawsuit said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The organization is also working with ranchers to establish prescribed burn associations to manage the damaging plants and is organizing community cutting days to reduce woody encroachment further.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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Store cut or cooked squash in an airtight zip-top bag or container in the refrigerator for up to four days.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Now, many employers are looking to harness the power of AI—initially for mundane and repetitive tasks and eventually for more complicated jobs—to reduce the need to maintain the same level of human staffers on their payrolls.—
Jason Del Rey,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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And drivers can reduce the risk of their cars being hit.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.—
Kathryn Gregory,
Louisville Courier Journal,
15 Oct. 2025
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Into a large bowl, sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt through a sieve and set aside.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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