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
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Recent Examples of winnow
The museum has closed and the entire Klairmont collection — which in recent years was winnowed down to 284 cars — will be sold by Mecum Auctions.
—
Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Overnight, this winnowed the field.
—Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 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
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Overnight, this winnowed the field.
—Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 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
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
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After some pink-slipping and culling (hello, Stephen Colbert) by the previous Shari Redstone regime, Ellison’s Skydance did receive quick regulatory approval of the $8 billion Paramount purchase once the corporate scalpings were done.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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The heavy-metal legends spent this past summer on the European run of their half-century trek, which features an all-favorites set list culled from Iron Maiden’s first nine studio albums.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Shares of SoftBank plunged over 10% before paring losses to about 5%.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
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Golden Bachelor 2025 cast Owens recently pared the group of women vying for his attention down to the final three.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To prune overgrown blueberry bushes, trim half of the oldest canes down to the ground to encourage new branches to grow.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
26 Oct. 2025
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Adams’ Exit Narrows the Field After Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race, much of his support appeared to transfer to Cuomo, trimming Mamdani’s lead.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Overall, the inflation data likely add fuel to expectations that the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by another quarter percentage point at its policy meeting later this month - its second consecutive cut.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
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Superstar Shohei Ohtani launched a two-run shot to cut the lead down to 11-4, but the momentum still appeared to be on the Blue Jays' side in a raucous Rogers Centre.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As part of a plea agreement, the murder charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter, and the remaining charges were dismissed.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
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Additional heavy rainfall is possible beyond Saturday; however, uncertainty in Melissa's track and forward speed reduces confidence in exact totals.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Finding the perfect one—one that doesn’t feel like a potato sack or scratch your skin—often takes a lot of trial and error, but the easiest way to sift through the endless options and find your next favorite sweater is by checking out what real shoppers have to say.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
19 Oct. 2025
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Rather than sift through the multitude of airpark websites, enthusiasts can filter available fly-in real estate to match their preference via sources like Trade-a-Plane, an aviation marketplace that’s logged everything online from aircraft parts to services since 1997.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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