as in culling
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 winnowing
The report resulted in the closure of over half the country’s medical schools, winnowing their numbers down from 148 to 66 over two decades.
—
Patrick Aguilar, The Conversation, 17 Oct. 2025
There's something so deeply satisfying about winnowing a huge capital ship down to its smallest components, finding critical welds and junctures, and melting them apart with your heat laser.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump has expressed an interest in winnowing the field of candidates so that one person can take Mamdani head-on.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
And his anxieties seem propelled by a fear of winnowing potential, the feeling that he might be left behind.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
Patrick Aguilar, The Conversation, 17 Oct. 2025
There's something so deeply satisfying about winnowing a huge capital ship down to its smallest components, finding critical welds and junctures, and melting them apart with your heat laser.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump has expressed an interest in winnowing the field of candidates so that one person can take Mamdani head-on.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
And his anxieties seem propelled by a fear of winnowing potential, the feeling that he might be left behind.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnowing
Verb
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The 'Roadblocks' Hegseth in February fired the top uniformed lawyers, culling the armed forces' most senior ports of call for advice on whether orders are legal.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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It's also been culling its footprint of Go cashierless convenience stores.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Compressing multiyear pre-construction cycles into days or weeks and trimming 20% off project costs could expand supply faster than most policy interventions.—
Jon Stojan,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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After cutting and trimming any splinters, place the stakes behind the trellis.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Unified Government created a set of incentives, which include cutting permit fees and water and sewer connection fees, for people who want to build on its land bank property to try to encourage redevelopment.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
18 Oct. 2025
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The prince also accused his father of cutting him off financially, and Meghan said the royals discussed denying their children prince and princess titles and police protection.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The government’s lawyers argued the ruling effectively guts a statute aimed at reducing gun violence by preventing unlawful drug users from wielding firearms.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
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The firm’s post-weave colorization system preserves the authentic look, feel, and durability of conventional denim while drastically reducing environmental impact.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Spot silver surpassed the $50 mark for the first time last week before paring gains.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
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The company began paring back its exclusive podcast deals in 2023.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnowing. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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