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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Recent Examples of winnow
The club is winnowing down its pitching options.
—
Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
And as this stuff shakes out, that 23 will probably winnow and what Dara’s talking about with the multichannel distribution is just messy.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 3 Mar. 2026
The leadership of the AI trade has been winnowed down to Alphabet along with memory stocks and the energy/electrification infrastructure suppliers, which are exploiting product scarcity to impose a quasi-tax on the builders.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 23 Feb. 2026
From that group, the Playwrights Project staff winnows down the number to a list of finalists and those scripts are read and judged by a group of theater professionals.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
And as this stuff shakes out, that 23 will probably winnow and what Dara’s talking about with the multichannel distribution is just messy.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 3 Mar. 2026
The leadership of the AI trade has been winnowed down to Alphabet along with memory stocks and the energy/electrification infrastructure suppliers, which are exploiting product scarcity to impose a quasi-tax on the builders.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 23 Feb. 2026
From that group, the Playwrights Project staff winnows down the number to a list of finalists and those scripts are read and judged by a group of theater professionals.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
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The winners include heartbreaking images of an elephant culling in Zimbabwe, a massive apartment fire in Hong Kong, and the devastating aftermath of drone attacks in Ukraine.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2026
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Some of the imagery seen by Ferreira’s character is genuine content culled from online, carefully trimmed.—
Mark Olsen,
Twin Cities,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Designed by Sam Burch Architects, the house takes a familiar Mediterranean look and pares it back, using the natural setting to do alot of the heavy lifting.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
6 Apr. 2026
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The governor could certainly try to pare the Democratic field.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Get a hedge-and-branch trimming bundle at a huge discount.—
Andrew P. Collins,
The Drive,
9 Apr. 2026
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Airlines are responding cautiously, trimming schedules and adjusting prices in ways that experts say will ripple unevenly across the market but ultimately affect nearly every type of traveler.—
Rio Yamat,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Minnesota led by 10 with about four minutes left before Houston used an 8-2 run, with four points from Alperen Sengun, to cut the lead to 132-128 with about a minute to go.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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It is equipped with fold-out platforms, a large glass-bottom pool, and a lounge with a DJ booth, meaning seafarers can play with water toys by day and cut shapes by night.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Smith said after talking to Gregg, Wheels Up reduced the price to $850, but storage fees for having the car since April 1 bring the grand total to at least $2,600.—
Liz Crawford,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Much like Vietnam, only a lot faster, the American war in Iran has reduced itself to saving face.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Curtains and Drapes When second-hand shopping expert PJ Gach worked at her local thrift store, her job was to sift through the donations and decide which ones were actually sellable.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
9 Apr. 2026
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Tang says a new wave of demand for renewable energy would sift out clean-tech winners, after years of hyper-growth drove down prices to levels at which some companies could no longer compete.—
Ishika Mookerjee,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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