as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree
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Recent Examples of prune
Although all of the cars in the race had been pruned of windshield and fenders, even the exhaust system and muffler had been removed on these Fords so that four snub-nosed pipes jutted straight from the hood.
—
Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Some of this will get pruned during the SEC review.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Paramount has steadily been pruning its real estate portfolio, exiting the former CBS headquarters (aka Black Rock), selling Television City in Los Angeles and making plans to leave Viacom’s longtime home in Times Square.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 May 2026
Hydrangeas fall into two basic pruning categories: those that bloom on old wood and those that bloom on new wood.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prune
Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Some of this will get pruned during the SEC review.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Paramount has steadily been pruning its real estate portfolio, exiting the former CBS headquarters (aka Black Rock), selling Television City in Los Angeles and making plans to leave Viacom’s longtime home in Times Square.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 May 2026
Hydrangeas fall into two basic pruning categories: those that bloom on old wood and those that bloom on new wood.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prune
Verb
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The researchers estimated that those who got neither bright days nor dark nights were shaving five years off their lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
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Shop around and compare offers from at least three lenders, as doing so can shave close to a full percentage point off your rate, and be sure to talk to lenders directly about terms and costs that may not appear online.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The moment came in the 73rd minute with a goal from Mauricio to cut the US advantage to 3-1.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Simpson robbed Adell of a homer in the eighth to keep the Rays within two, and Aranda cut it to 4-3 with a two-out single off Farris before Zeferjahn finished.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The Spurs outlasted New York 115-111 in Game 3, trimming the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1 entering Wednesday’s Game 4.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
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Following a Game 3 loss that trimmed the Knicks' series lead to 2-1, a steady drumbeat of self-criticism emerged from the team's remarks.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The lawn around the pond had been mowed without anybody picking up the trash beforehand.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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Make American Lawn-mowing Great Again!—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prune. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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