winnows

verb

present tense third-person singular of winnow
as in culls
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 winnows The primary winnows the field for most federal, state and local offices, with the two candidates who receive the most votes advancing to the general election that decides who wins. — John Woolfolk, Mercury News, 18 May 2026 From that group, the Playwrights Project staff winnows down the number to a list of finalists and those scripts are read and judged by a group of theater professionals. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnows
  1. culls
  2. trims
  3. cuts
  4. reduces
  5. pares
  6. discards
Verb
  • The fastest-growing area is a cluster of skills involving AI agents, according to Draup, which culls data from public job posts and platforms including LinkedIn.
    — Hugh Son, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The model, which does not source without permission, culls mountains of data about the natural world from partners including the Smithsonian, London’s Natural History Museum and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of culls
Verb
  • The resulting walk-away safe design prevents fuel meltdowns by basic physical principles, which significantly lowers manufacturing costs and trims regulatory hurdles.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • However, his proposal trims the Center’s initial $750 million ask, with other groups also taking much smaller haircuts as well.
    — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of trims
Verb
  • Limiting it to households with wealth under $500,000 — about 70% of Americans — cuts that to $190 billion.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Maribeth cuts her eyes over at me to see how all this is landing.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of cuts
Verb
  • This reduces the turbulence around the suspension and in the trailer’s wake, and lowers the aerodynamic drag.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • There are studies suggesting that being on a regular training regimen reduces your risk of cancer recurrence.
    — Samantha Ciaccia, Glamour, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of reduces
Verb
  • Her music accordingly pares down the signature elements of a genre in which reckless abandon and defiant self-expression have long been central.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026
  • In its fifth and final season, The Bear pares itself back.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Definition of pares
Verb
  • When Georg discards the item and it is found by the police, Fritz is summoned to Westhofen to identify it.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 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 discards

Browse Nearby Words

winnowing
winnows
wino
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Cite this Entry

“Winnows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnows. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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