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
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
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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It's also been culling its footprint of Go cashierless convenience stores.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
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Culver briefly covered women’s clubs until becoming the paper’s religion editor, a role that largely entailed culling wire copy and posting notices about church meetings.—
Susan Greene,
Denver Post,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Thankfully, a shelter volunteer, Nikki Miller, took up Chase’s cause, giving him a bath, trimming his nails and shaving his fur to get him back to looking his best again.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Its trimming rippled in the afternoon wind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Little River Canyon National Preserve introduces visitors to a magnificent gorge that was created by the Little River cutting across the top of Lookout Mountain.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
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The trial was designed to appeal to cash-conscious customers, who’ve been cutting eating out from their budgets, hurting restaurants’ profits.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The findings have led to the development of potential medical treatments that scientists hope could cure autoimmune diseases, the committee said, as well as providing more effective cancer treatments and reducing complications after stem cell and organ transplants.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
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Research has shown the benefits of exercise in mitigating the effects of aging by increasing blood flow to the brain and reducing the risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The company began paring back its exclusive podcast deals in 2023.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
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Proenza Schouler stripped it back, paring the print down to a tri-colored diamond check and elevating it through a wrap silhouette.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnowing. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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