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 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
The outcome has been regulatory and policy decisions that have winnowed vaccine access and development.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
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
The outcome has been regulatory and policy decisions that have winnowed vaccine access and development.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnowed
Verb
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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
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Despite the shift away from hunting from the air, many still don’t want to see the deer culled.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The flattering design is trimmed with lace detailing and features a tiny, delicate flower at the V-neckline for a romantic touch.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Feb. 2026
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As the Padres massively trimmed payroll in 2024 and maintained a tighter budget the past two seasons, Preller and assistant general manager Josh Stein have engineered creative contracts to land starting pitcher Nick Pivetta and others.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 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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Some stocks have since pared their losses.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
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And every time stocks have rallied, an equally relentless wave of skeptics has pared those gains.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As Russia reduced flows, prices spiked, pushing up energy bills and helping fuel a cost of living crisis.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Ultimately, the report states, about 1% of the district’s more than 83,000 employees are likely to lose a job or have their pay reduced.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winnowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnowed. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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