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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of winnow
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the shortlists for the 97th Oscars in 10 categories on Tuesday, winnowing the field of contenders across documentary, international feature, music, sound and visual effects.
—
Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
To winnow it down, the academy first relies on the Producers Guild of America: Which producers were the most involved?
—Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
Dealerships are typically going all out to move the metal, both to meet year-end quotas and to winnow down excess inventory, especially of what are now last year’s models.
—Jim Gorzelany, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The field is winnowed and campaigning gets much tougher.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for winnow 
Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
To winnow it down, the academy first relies on the Producers Guild of America: Which producers were the most involved?
—Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
Dealerships are typically going all out to move the metal, both to meet year-end quotas and to winnow down excess inventory, especially of what are now last year’s models.
—Jim Gorzelany, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The field is winnowed and campaigning gets much tougher.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
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In the past month alone, nearly 13 million birds have been infected or culled, VOX reported.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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Poultry found to be sick with avian flu need to be culled, and their eggs also need to be destroyed.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But the Nielsens are pared down to various other niches — with money repercussions.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
24 Jan. 2025
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Markets have pared expectations for the number of rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserves this year, pricing in only one quarter percentage cut in 2025, according to CME FedWatch tool as of Friday.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Just remember to trim your cat's nails to avoid unwanted scratches, Sung said.—
Claire Thornton,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
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Tulsi Gabbard trimmed her confirmation hearing opening remarks, leaving out a line accusing the intelligence committee of leaking information to build up the Russia investigation against President Trump, Axios has learned.—
Stef W. Kight,
Axios,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Funding for United Nations agencies, including peacekeeping, human rights and refugee agencies, have been traditional targets for Republican administrations to cut.—
Ellen Knickmeyer,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
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Crews found heavy flames coming from the front of the home and focused their efforts on search and rescue while also cutting holes in the roof of the house to release smoke and gas, the Fire Department said in a social media post.—
Amy McDaniel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Working with a sliding scale provider, as mentioned above, is another great way to reduce costs.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
27 Jan. 2025
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Princess Anne has no plans to reduce her royal duties as her peers reach retirement age.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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First opened in 1941, the airfield sits on thousands of years of history, and when construction began in September on improvements to the airfield, the Royal Air Force (RAF) called for help from archaeologists to sift through the sediment.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2025
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Judges sifted through more than 20,000 images submitted by photographers from more than 150 countries to crown Mackay the overall winner.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN,
29 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near winnow
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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