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 Panthers’ involvement in the next Winter Classic winnows the number of teams yet to play a regular season outdoor game to one: the Utah Hockey Club, which didn’t play in one while in Arizona.
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Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 8 Jan. 2025
Through the end of 2027, the city proposes letting 29 TIF districts expire but still extending 18, leaving 90 on the books for city leaders to winnow down in order to pay off the bonds.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2025
Ramaswamy's name was mentioned during DeWine's announcement that Husted would take up the vacant U.S. Senate seat, with a reporter asking the governor if rumors of Ramaswamy seeking DeWine's job bid led DeWine to winnow down the list of potential rivals.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
The scrappy and broadly rural culture of TikTok in India winnowed down into a more top-down influencer culture on those two platforms.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 8 Jan. 2025
Through the end of 2027, the city proposes letting 29 TIF districts expire but still extending 18, leaving 90 on the books for city leaders to winnow down in order to pay off the bonds.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2025
Ramaswamy's name was mentioned during DeWine's announcement that Husted would take up the vacant U.S. Senate seat, with a reporter asking the governor if rumors of Ramaswamy seeking DeWine's job bid led DeWine to winnow down the list of potential rivals.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
The scrappy and broadly rural culture of TikTok in India winnowed down into a more top-down influencer culture on those two platforms.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
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According to a release, the half hour’s worth of footage was culled from thousands of hours of raw tape.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
8 Apr. 2025
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Like every archival clip Yousef includes in her documentary (culled from thousands of hours of footage found in a company storage locker), these selections are meticulously curated and highly revealing.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Boston Globe | Getty Images Europe’s Stoxx Healthcare index was 4.4% lower at 10:02 a.m. in London on Wednesday, paring earlier losses but still trading low enough to lead the regional equity sell-off.—
Chloe Taylor,Jenni Reid,Sawdah Bhaimiya,Sophie Kiderlin,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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That program had been pared back even before it was passed two years ago — also for budget reasons — and lawmakers this week swept away what remained.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The idea of trimming the tree during Masters week with so many people nearby did not seem logical.—
Bob Spear,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2025
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Its snug cabin is beautifully trimmed in high-quality materials, and features wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay connectivity, and a premium Bowers & Wilkins audio system.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Those scenes were ultimately cut for space before the show ever started production, so Mazin resurrected the idea for Season 2.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
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In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that more than 80% of all USAID grants were being permanently cut.—
Violet Ikong,
Christian Science Monitor,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This has, among other losses, reduced Egyptian revenue from the Suez Canal by about eight hundred million dollars a month.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
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Cost Savings: Automation reduces labor costs and minimizes errors.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Much like a computer sorting its files to run more efficiently, Kincaid sifts through personal memories—both joyful and difficult—and reassembles them with intention.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
12 Apr. 2025
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But though police identified Kappen’s method and had several descriptors of him — his bushy hair, his mustache, his approximate age and the model of his car — the clues proved too broad and, according to the BBC, police were left sifting through a pool of about 35,000 possible suspects.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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