winnow

1 of 2

verb

win·​now ˈwi-(ˌ)nō 

winnowed; winnowing; winnows

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: to remove (something, such as chaff) by a current of air

(2)

: to get rid of (something undesirable or unwanted) : remove

—often used with out

winnow out certain inaccuracies

—Stanley Walker

b(1)

: separate, sift

an old hand at winnowing what is true and significant

—Oscar Lewis

(2)

: select

2

a

: to treat (something, such as grain) by exposure to a current of air so that waste matter is eliminated

b

: to free of unwanted or inferior elements : pare

c

: narrow, reduce

winnowed the field to four contenders

3

: to blow on : fan

the wind winnowing his thin white hair

—Time

intransitive verb

1

: to separate chaff from grain by fanning

2

: to separate desirable and undesirable elements

winnower

ˈwi-nə-wər 

noun

winnow

2 of 2

noun

1

: a device for winnowing

2

a

: the action of winnowing

b

: a motion resembling that of winnowing

Did you know?

Winnow Has Old English Roots

Beginning as windwian in Old English, winnow first referred to the removal of chaff from grain by a current of air. This use was soon extended to describe the removal of anything undesirable or unwanted (a current example of this sense would be "winnowing out sensitive material"). People then began using the word for the selection of the most desirable elements (as in "winnowing out the qualified applicants"). The association of winnow with the movement of air also led to the meanings "to brandish" and "to beat with or as if with wings," but those uses are now rare. The last meanings blew in around the beginning of the 19th century: they are "to blow on" and "to blow in gusts."

Examples of winnow in a Sentence

Verb

The least qualified applicants were winnowed out of the initial pool.

Harvesters winnowed the chaff from the wheat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In some cases, the candidate field is winnowed to two choices in our spring primary, where turnout is usually 40% lower than November, with even greater drops among voters of color and young people. —Steve Chessin, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024

The field of candidates would be winnowed down by a committee before being added to ballots. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024

Staff at the Elections & Registration Office plastered the entries all over their office walls and winnowed them down to 20 semi-finalists. —Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 5 Oct. 2024

This competition neared a climax in 2014 as NASA prepared to winnow the field to one company, or at most two, to move from the design phase into actual development. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English winewen, from Old English windwian to fan, winnow; akin to Old High German wintōn to fan, Latin vannus winnowing fan, ventus wind — more at wind entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

winnow

verb

win·​now

ˈwin-ō

1

a

: to remove by a current of air the parts separated from grain in threshing

b

: to expose grain to a current of air to remove waste

2

: to sort or separate as if by winnowing

winnowed the guest list down to 20

winnower

ˈwin-ə-wər

noun