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
As such, the pool of dozens of prospects will be winnowed down to 12 jurors and 6 alternates, who will be sworn in on Monday morning ahead of opening statements.
—
Elizabeth Rosner, People.com, 12 May 2025
That has become, over the last 60 years, the safety net as our social safety net has winnowed away.
—John Surico, Curbed, 18 Feb. 2025
The mode winnowed down players at various checkpoints (like Fall Guys) — only the top 20 kept racing after the first leg, then only the top 16, and so on, until the final course sported only four racers.
—James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 3 Apr. 2025
The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday winnowed its list of 2025 award semifinalists down to the finalists, with four San Francisco contenders and one Mendocino County one remaining in the hunt for the prestigious culinary awards.
—Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Elizabeth Rosner, People.com, 12 May 2025
That has become, over the last 60 years, the safety net as our social safety net has winnowed away.
—John Surico, Curbed, 18 Feb. 2025
The mode winnowed down players at various checkpoints (like Fall Guys) — only the top 20 kept racing after the first leg, then only the top 16, and so on, until the final course sported only four racers.
—James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 3 Apr. 2025
The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday winnowed its list of 2025 award semifinalists down to the finalists, with four San Francisco contenders and one Mendocino County one remaining in the hunt for the prestigious culinary awards.
—Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
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Meat: The new Edgewater Whole Foods also includes a full-service meat counter culling ground beef from Adams Ranch Natural Beef in Fort Pierce. Beer: A spirits section boasts more than 240 craft beers, many of which are from local brewers, and 700 wines.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
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This is why the numbers need to be culled by a limited hunt.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 May 2025
Verb
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The professionalization of college athletics will be seen in the high-stakes and expensive recruitment of stars on their way to the NFL and NBA, and they will be felt by athletes whose schools have decided to pare their programs.—
Eddie Pells,
Baltimore Sun,
7 June 2025
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Tangent Tesla’s shares, which dropped 14% in one of the stock’s worst-ever trading sessions, appeared to pare back some losses Friday after jumping 3% in early trading.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Though the index rebounded shortly after, its gains were trimmed in early 2025 as U.S. President Donald Trump ignited his trade war.—
Zinnia Lee,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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First, trim your nails by clipping straight across to create short tips.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
11 June 2025
Verb
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The end of Elon Musk’s time at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency is the latest chapter in a long story: Republicans are better at cutting taxes than cutting spending.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2025
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President Joe Biden promoted a suite of policies meant to cut carbon emissions by boosting EV sales.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Here are recommendations for maintaining safety during a thunderstorm: To reduce the chance of being struck by lightning, when venturing outside, have a plan to get to a safer area.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2025
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Yerevan has since sought to diversify its defense sources, reducing arms imports from Russia to as low as 10 percent by 2024.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Verb
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The emergence of artificial intelligence models, such as Microsoft’s Aurora AI project, are providing powerful tools for sifting through massive datasets and delivering more precise storm projections.—
Jim Foerster,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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In any case, their rankings (along with the public’s ratings from Yelp, Tripadvisor and similar sites) were helpful in sifting through Kansas City’s cornucopia of museums to determine a top 10 for your summer consideration.—
Dan Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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