as in culls
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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Recent Examples of winnows
From that group, the Playwrights Project staff winnows down the number to a list of finalists and those scripts are read and judged by a group of theater professionals.
—
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnows
Verb
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The model, which does not source without permission, culls mountains of data about the natural world from partners including the Smithsonian, London’s Natural History Museum and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Fundrise culls its data from both public records and private databases.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The third round of voting trims the field to four restaurants.—
Susan Stapleton,
Des Moines Register,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Yale Repertory Theatre is using a 2019 adaptation by Frank Galati, which takes the standard Derek Prouse translation which has been around nearly as long as Ionesco original French script and trims it judiciously for maximum theatrical impact.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This single habit dramatically reduces soap scum, the same buildup that makes tile floors dangerously slippery.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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This reduces their effectiveness, slowing down your machine and causing long-term damage.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Designed by Sam Burch Architects, the house takes a familiar Mediterranean look and pares it back, using the natural setting to do alot of the heavy lifting.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
6 Apr. 2026
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Marvel Avengers Expansion Impressions The biggest strength of the Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game expansions continues to be succinct writing that pares down decades of comic book history into a short but informative chapter.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Additional features include CleanWeb, which blocks ads, trackers, and malware at the network level, and a Kill Switch that cuts internet access if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
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Meta cuts 8,000 workers Welp, Meta is once again eliminating jobs in light of its massive spending on artificial intelligence.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Try the Storm Chaser, which sends you into a zero-gravity fall, catches you in a funnel, then discards you into a pool below.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Feb. 2026
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At the same time, Gans discards the psychological and spatial logic that gave meaning to the original telling’s dream-like sense of disorientation.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winnows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnows. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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