as in culled
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 winnowed
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
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has winnowed thousands of submissions for its Name a Snowplow contest down to 30 finalists.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Finally, Thoreau winnowed once again, translating some, but not all, of the list items to his charts of general phenomena, and carefully noting the dates on which each phenomenon occurred in the spaces of the grid.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
These associates would then be winnowed out over time.
—Atta Tarki, Harvard Business Review, 2 Oct. 2025
West Point cancelled an award ceremony for Tom Hanks, after having already winnowed its library of potentially offensive books.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
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
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 23 Feb. 2026
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has winnowed thousands of submissions for its Name a Snowplow contest down to 30 finalists.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Finally, Thoreau winnowed once again, translating some, but not all, of the list items to his charts of general phenomena, and carefully noting the dates on which each phenomenon occurred in the spaces of the grid.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
These associates would then be winnowed out over time.
—Atta Tarki, Harvard Business Review, 2 Oct. 2025
West Point cancelled an award ceremony for Tom Hanks, after having already winnowed its library of potentially offensive books.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnowed
Verb
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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
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Some of the imagery seen by Ferreira’s character is genuine content culled from online, carefully trimmed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Benintendi's two-run double off Nick Sandlin (0-1) trimmed the Angels' lead to one.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Benintendi’s two-run double off Nick Sandlin (0-1) trimmed the Angels’ lead to one.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The shutdown has had a massive impact on the finances of Iranians whose businesses rely on internet access and has also effectively cut the people off from the outside world.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
-
After being cut from the high school team each of his first three years, Sloane piled on some muscle, increased the velocity on his fastball and drew college interest last summer.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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That could happen again, and oil prices pared some of their steepest losses from Wednesday morning.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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The podcast also serves as a thread connecting to the brand’s soft relaunch on Wednesday, which will introduce a new but pared-down Vice News website.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
While Himatsingka had to take down his viral Bournvita clip, following a growing public backlash the company reduced sugar content in its offering, according to local media reports.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
7 May 2026
-
In less than 24 hours, the deadly flames reduced the entire city to ash, displacing generations of families overnight.—
Samantha Stokes,
Essence,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winnowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnowed. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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