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
As in baseball, the awards race may be winnowing to the two true outcomes — a world where Best Picture nominees are either a huge Hollywood blockbuster or a foreign-language film from Cannes.
—
Nate Jones, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Alegria also sees wild rice production growing using the traditional Indigenous methods of drying, parching, dancing and winnowing at rice camps in northern Wisconsin.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Nate Jones, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Alegria also sees wild rice production growing using the traditional Indigenous methods of drying, parching, dancing and winnowing at rice camps in northern Wisconsin.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnowing
Verb
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Some companies have already leaned into culling headcount to grow profits, including enterprise-software firm IgniteTech.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
20 Jan. 2026
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Florida’s way of culling the program reduces the income eligibility.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Georgia continues to find some rhythm offensively, trimming the lead to 14 at the third media timeout.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
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City officials are now considering trimming or removing trees near the fields to improve visibility and reduce glare.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Although the Jayhawks led by as many as 21 points, BYU stayed within striking distance in the second half, cutting the lead to six as the clock ticked under two minutes to go.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
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There were cancellations and delays, with the Department of Transportation cutting flights due to safety concerns.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Supporters of the idea say a combined utility would be able to cut costs by reducing the number of employees.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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The proposal also establishes more predictable timelines for preparing environmental impact statements, reducing delays and providing greater certainty for both developers and financing partners.—
Carlina Rivera,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The benchmark index briefly rose to 7,001 after trading began Wednesday, before paring back its gains to end the day mostly flat.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The company’s stock rose as much as 5% in Hong Kong before paring some gains to close at the strongest level since mid-December.—
Bloomberg News,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winnowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnowing. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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