winnow

verb

Definition of winnownext
as in to cull
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of winnow The number of options could initially stretch into the billions as the league winnowed down the choices. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 28 July 2026 The board winnowed down its list from six semifinalists to two in a vote at a special meeting held Tuesday. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026 But for three contests — Assembly District 67, Assembly District 68 and Assembly District 72 — the June 2 primary was needed to winnow the field. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 7 July 2026 The first knockout round continues through Friday night, when the field will be winnowed to 16 teams. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
  1. cull
  2. trim
  3. cut
  4. pare
  5. sift
  6. reduce
  7. discard
Verb
  • But with female crabs able to produce up to 8 million eggs every season, culling barely dented their numbers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • This year’s feature lineup was culled from nearly 2,000 entries, winnowed over seven months to just a few dozen features, shorts, and other programming.
    — David Bloom, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of cull
Verb
  • Landlords Even before legislation banning institutional investors from purchasing more single-family homes became law, the eight largest Wall Street landlords were trimming their portfolios.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The change, announced in a presentation on Wednesday, is part of a broader shift in Microsoft’s reporting structure, as the company trims its operating segments from three to two.
    — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of trim
Verb
  • Trading firms began using low-latency (shorter delay) technology and co-locating servers inside exchange data centers, cutting trade execution times to milliseconds and making speed itself a competitive advantage.
    — Brian Lund, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Bass defended her proposal to cut the climate office amid the budget crunch, which the City Council rejected.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • The rooms Like the rest of the hotel, Maçakızı’s 74 rooms are pared back and unfussy.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • There were no major surprises after the team made its final cuts, paring the roster down to 53 players days ahead of the flight to Melbourne, Australia, for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of pare
Verb
  • Four months later, he was seen last weekend walking dogs, taking walks, enjoying a cup of coffee in a garage, and even stopping to sift through neighborhood trash items on the side of the street.
    — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • With too few people and too little time to sift through it all, METR used AI itself to analyze its findings, burning the equivalent of $400,000 in API credits supplied by OpenAI during their six on-site days.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of sift
Verb
  • Its movements and squeaks change in response to the person interacting with it, giving caregivers another way to reduce distress and encourage engagement.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • For instance, a creditor might bid $35,000 for a $50,000 SUV, reducing the judgment by that amount, then sell it for $50,000, pocketing $15,000.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of reduce
Verb
  • Peeling, trimming, and discarding green portions are the most effective measures to ensure a potato is safe to eat.
    — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
  • If that prediction is wrong, the processor discards the work, although traces can remain behind.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of discard

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winnings
winnow
winnowed
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Cite this Entry

“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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