How to Use winnow in a Sentence

winnow

verb
Definition of winnownext
Synonyms for winnownext
  • The least qualified applicants were winnowed out of the initial pool.
  • The straw has to be gathered, the seeds winnowed, the fields burned, the soil turned, and there are only so many hours in the day.
    — Aryn Baker, Time, 12 Sep. 2019
  • The playoff field for the 2023 NFL season has been winnowed from eight teams to four.
    — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
  • By the time the 2016 field winnowed down, Trump had the nomination sewn up.
    — David Jackson, USA TODAY, 1 June 2023
  • On Monday, the party will hold two rounds of voting to winnow the field to one or two.
    — Mark Landler, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2022
  • The goal was to winnow down the story, to get to the basics but bring a human element to it.
    — Connie Nelson, Star Tribune, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Those new rules could also serve to winnow the field of AI models in China.
    — Paolo Confino, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 23, the debate could help winnow the crowded field for the first time this year.
    — Time, 18 Aug. 2023
  • The fight is finally starting to winnow to one against Trump.
    — TIME, 16 Jan. 2024
  • In the process of development and even post, [we] just winnow it down to the essentials.
    — Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2023
  • At the end of the process, the commission will interview some of the top contenders, before winnowing the list to three.
    — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024
  • The original group of 30 Broward and Palm Beach county football teams in the playoffs has been winnowed down to 18.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, sun-sentinel.com, 13 Nov. 2019
  • Bilao is the word for a flat, woven basket used in the provinces for winnowing rice.
    — Amanda Albee, Dallas News, 6 Mar. 2020
  • On Sunday — with judging in three more groups — the field will winnow to the final seven dogs who will compete for Best in Show.
    — New York Times, 13 June 2021
  • The White House sees the new requirements as a potent tool to winnow down the ranks of the tens of millions of Americans who have thus far refused to get a shot.
    — David Koenig, chicagotribune.com, 4 Nov. 2021
  • The search will cast a wide net and winnow the applicants down in a one-day, virtual pitch challenge hosted by John.
    — Mckenna Moore, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2020
  • And even once people make it through the gate, processing delays sharply winnow the numbers of people cleared to board planes.
    — Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2021
  • The White House sees it as a potent tool to winnow down the ranks of roughly 65 million Americans who have thus far refused to get a shot.
    — Zeke Miller and David Koenig, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2021
  • Tasked with winnowing the field down to 17 semifinalists, the judges filled out score sheets for each part of the competition.
    — Madison Malone Kircher Bridget Bennett, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024
  • But winnowing the field also has the effect of narrowing the debate.
    — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2019
  • Democrats have struggled to win support for that plan from some members of their party, who want to winnow down its $3.5 trillion price tag.
    — From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 21 Oct. 2021
  • Our department heads know the parameters and winnow the requests to needs, not wants.
    — Nick Sortal, sun-sentinel.com, 14 Oct. 2021
  • Just five candidates took the stage after some dropped out and campaign requirements winnowed down the field.
    — Rachel Cohrs and Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 8 Nov. 2023
  • Mendes is the likely victor for Best Director, and the battle for Best Picture is now winnowed down to their two uniquely thrilling pieces of work.
    — Stacey Wilson Hunt, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2020
  • The primary will winnow the field of candidates and set November match-ups.
    — Todd Richmond, Star Tribune, 10 Aug. 2020
  • The pack chasing Trump has roughly six months of debates, town halls and fundraising pitches ahead before voters start to winnow the field.
    — David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
  • The list of devices was so large that investigators asked Google to winnow it down to devices that had been at two or more of the locations.
    — Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2023
  • In the past, authorities have set up roadblocks deeper in the country to winnow down larger groups.
    — Star Tribune, 1 Oct. 2020
  • The showcase in the heart of the Deep South could prove decisive for some candidates, as the party looks to winnow the roster of those seeking the nomination.
    — Jennifer Jacobs, al, 31 Aug. 2023
  • That part of the series moves quickly and usually involves some brutal cuts to winnow the group of contestants.
    — Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 8 Mar. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'winnow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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