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
After fermentation and toasting, the beans are winnowed and placed in a melanger, a stone grinder that runs for up to 72 to turn the beans into a velvety, smooth paste.
—
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
The next round of the competition on March 31 will winnow the lists down to five finalists in each category.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
From there, researchers could winnow down their suspects to a couple million signals, then rank them by likelihood of ET origin after accounting for radio frequency interferences from sources like orbital satellites, TV broadcasts, and even kitchen microwaves.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Jan. 2026
To find Ramirez, Hutchison and his colleagues used genealogical methods to winnow down Stitt's killer to one of four brothers.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
The next round of the competition on March 31 will winnow the lists down to five finalists in each category.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
From there, researchers could winnow down their suspects to a couple million signals, then rank them by likelihood of ET origin after accounting for radio frequency interferences from sources like orbital satellites, TV broadcasts, and even kitchen microwaves.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Jan. 2026
To find Ramirez, Hutchison and his colleagues used genealogical methods to winnow down Stitt's killer to one of four brothers.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
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Around 40% of employees expect to follow Siemiatkowski’s lead in culling staff down the line as a result of AI, according to the 2025 World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
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In many states, enrollment requires only a name, Social Security number and address — data easily culled from fake ads like the ones in Florida, unsolicited calls or other deceptive means.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Late last year, Was received a text from Weir, relaying specific instructions about how to pare back the music even more and play fewer notes in the future.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some stocks have since pared their losses.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The micro-style, trimmed with frills along the back, quickly found its way onto creator Devon Lee Carlson and rap artist Sexy Redd at Coachella, before subsequently selling out on the brand’s site.—
Amy Francombe,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
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Where Frederick Wiseman’s attention is analytical and the Maysles brothers’ attention is dramatic, Depardon’s is a tree trunk—blunt, rough, heavy, a raw thing to hew that keeps its rings of history even after shaping and trimming.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This week’s spat in Belgium came soon after the US ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, announced on February 5 that the US would cut ties with Włodzimierz Czarzasty, the speaker of Poland’s lower parliament, the Sejm.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Superintendent Brian Yearwood originally proposed cutting academic instructional coaches as part of a plan to address a $188 million deficit in the 2026-27 budget.—
Kathryn Muchnick,
Louisville Courier Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Upon his arrival, Thaksin was sentenced to eight years in prison on earlier corruption convictions, a term swiftly reduced to one year following a royal pardon.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Cutting convoy risk Army planners see cargo drones as a way to reduce dependence on traditional resupply convoys.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One way to sift through all of the noise of flashy commercials and eye-catching social media posts is by seeking out the products that real people actually stand behind, like this L’Oreal Paris moisturizer that’s backed by nearly 40,000 five-star ratings.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
22 Feb. 2026
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There are finally clues to sift through, and everyone hopes that answers are coming soon and that hopefully Nancy can be recovered alive and well.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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