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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of winnow
As of early August, Airbus had winnowed the gap to just 20 units, with 12,155 lifetime A320-family shipments, according to the data.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
During his first five-year contract, Bennett, his staff and the board winnowed down the company’s budget to better match annual expenses and ticket sales, while also creating the Detour series of smaller, nontraditional opera works to expand the company’s audience.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
Despite industry-wide budget cuts and a shortage of doc distributors for nonfiction social issue fare, Powers winnowed the list of 23 docs from over 1,000 submissions.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025
Zapata was selected from a list of 5 finalists, winnowed down from 166 applicants.
—Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
During his first five-year contract, Bennett, his staff and the board winnowed down the company’s budget to better match annual expenses and ticket sales, while also creating the Detour series of smaller, nontraditional opera works to expand the company’s audience.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
Despite industry-wide budget cuts and a shortage of doc distributors for nonfiction social issue fare, Powers winnowed the list of 23 docs from over 1,000 submissions.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025
Zapata was selected from a list of 5 finalists, winnowed down from 166 applicants.
—Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for winnow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnow
Verb
-
And it’s worked — statistics culled this year show that 58 percent of the population is now considered active.—
Blythe Lawrence,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Daring, dangerous, cutout silhouettes are a signature of sorts for the designer, whose knack for cool and modern styles has culled a strong following.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Inspiron branding of the past is gone, pared down to a faint Dell logo on the lid, and nowhere else.—
Charles Jefferies,
PC Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
-
In response, companies are paring back.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Control expenses This means trimming or eliminating the costs that don’t directly impact growth, profitability, or long-term sustainability of your business.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
To save money in 2026, MetroConnect will drop some low-ridership zones, trim operating hours and impose a three-mile cap on trips, said Natalia Jaramillo, communications director for Levine Cava.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The junior wideout slipped loose into the secondary, breaking free for a 51-yard touchdown reception as the Harbormen cut things to a 21-13 game.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The Fed may have seen the quarter-point interest rate cut on September 17 as necessary because the labor market is flagging.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The researchers believe that the benefit likely comes from aspirin acting in several ways – by reducing inflammation and inhibiting platelet function and tumor growth.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 Sep. 2025
-
In 2016, court filings indicate Gamez Lira was charged with possession of marijuana but ultimately pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after the charges were reduced.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Look in the mangroves for snapper, sift through the low sea grass for a chance to catch tarpon, or troll on the back of your boat for delicious mahi-mahi or swordfish.—
Teaghan Skulszki,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Interview transcripts, customer feedback, survey responses—what used to take hours or days to sift through can now be summarized and tagged in minutes.—
Catherine Iger,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winnow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnow. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share