cull

[kuhl]

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. 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.

   Synonyms: single out, cherry-pick

3. to collect; gather; pluck.

   Quotations are culled from a variety of literature, diaries and letters, local histories, journals, and newspapers.

   Synonyms: amass, garner

noun

1. the act of culling.

2. something culled, especially something picked out and put aside as inferior.

cull

/ kʌl /

verb

1. to choose or gather the best or required examples

2. to take out (an animal, esp an inferior one) from a herd

3. to reduce the size of (a herd or flock) by killing a proportion of its members

4. to gather (flowers, fruit, etc)

5. to cease to employ; get rid of

noun

1. the act or product of culling

2. an inferior animal taken from a herd or group

Other Word Forms

• culler noun
• outcull verb (used with object)
• overcull verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of cull¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English coilen, cuilen, cullen, from Anglo-French, Old French coillir, cuillir, from Latin colligere “to gather”; collect ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cull¹

C15: from Old French coillir to pick, from Latin colligere; see _collect ¹

Example Sentences

They must be culled, like runts from a litter.

Read more on Literature

"Thorough culling" to reduce the number of bears is the only effective way to reduce the risk for local people, researcher Ohnishi said.

Read more on Barron's

“Doing this rapid culling of your workforce, it’s very risky,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Avian flu has spread globally in recent years, leading to mass culling of poultry, some human deaths, and rising egg prices.

Read more on Barron's

GM executives have also discussed whether to cull some of those trucks from its lineup, according to people familiar with the matter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• extract 
• glean 
• pluck 
• select 
• sift 
• winnow