1
: selected or chosen from a group
The … weighty but not overstuffed shelves of carefully culled selections—Dan Brown, yes; Danielle Steele, no, per the curator of manuscripts—beseech that titles be taken down and opened …Sarah Schweitzer
… the Yahk camp has been warned by Conservation Officers for dumping their culled berries near the town, creating a significant bear attraction.The Creston Valley (British Columbia) Advance
2
a
of a population : reduced in size by removal (as by hunting or slaughter) of especially weak or sick individuals
… a new levy would be issued to dairy farmers to cover some of the compensation costs for culled herds … , the report said.Sally Rae
… here no vast forests were left standing; instead, carefully culled stands of oaks provided a bounteous crop of acorns for many thousands of pigs let loose to graze among them during the winter.C. McCullough
b
: removed (as by hunting or slaughter) for culling (see cull entry 1 sense 2)
The culling program has been controversial from the start. Each winter, some of the culled animals are killed by hunters …; others are slaughtered for meat.Camila Domonoske
… the ministry ordered the slaughter of about 22,300 cows in a bid to control the spread of the disease. … The meat from the culled cattle can be consumed because the disease does not infect humans …The Ashburton (New Zealand) Courier

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of culled was in 1572

Dictionary Entries Near culled

Cite this Entry

“Culled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culled. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on culled

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!