cull
to select and remove from a group, especially to discard or destroy as inferior: When I cull the smaller curved saplings, I'm careful to protect and nurture the straighter and larger trees.
to discard unwanted parts or remove choice parts from (a group): Ranchers must decide whether to buy expensive feed or cull their herds to weather the drought.
the act of culling.
something culled, especially something picked out and put aside as inferior.
Origin of cull
1Other words for cull
Other words from cull
- cull·er, noun
- out·cull, verb (used with object)
- o·ver·cull, verb (used with object)
Words that may be confused with cull
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cull in a sentence
A new book culls sweet and spicy recipes from bold-name entrepreneurs, coders, and venture capitalists.
Technology Masters Hit the Kitchen for Charity | Melissa Lafsky | December 9, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTHe culls them from a larger pool, testing and probing until he finds the most vulnerable.
Anneli Rufus culls the research on the choices that impact our kids.
Should Pregnant Women Ditch SSRIs, Microwaves and Cellphones? | Anneli Rufus | November 19, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTACSI culls results from more than 4,000 randomly sampled customers, and Southwest consistently ranks higher than other airlines.
From Cabbage Patch Kids to Furby to Squinkies, The Daily Beast culls the 30 top fads of the past 30 years.
This is where the largest percentage of my culls is eliminated.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting | Northern Nut Growers AssociationThe culls are not marketed unless good stock is exceedingly scarce, and as a rule are used for feeding to hogs.
The Vegetable Garden | AnonymousThe spirit culls Unfaded amaranth, when wild it strays790 Through the old garden-ground of boyish days.
Endymion | John KeatsDuring this time he sold thousands of bushels of "culls" that are not counted in this statement, excepting in 1895.
The Apple | VariousCulls we have evaporated, sold to men who evaporate, to cider-mills, and to dealers who handle bulk apples.
The Apple | Various
British Dictionary definitions for cull
/ (kʌl) /
to choose or gather the best or required examples
to take out (an animal, esp an inferior one) from a herd
to reduce the size of (a herd or flock) by killing a proportion of its members
to gather (flowers, fruit, etc)
to cease to employ; get rid of
the act or product of culling
an inferior animal taken from a herd or group
Origin of cull
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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