culling

[ kuhl-ing ]
See synonyms for: cullingcullings on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the act or process of selecting and removing desirable or undesirable individuals from a group: Reducing farm exposure to the bacteria will require more rigorous testing and culling of infected animals.

  2. the process of gathering or collecting: To realize progress through the transfer of ideas, an informed culling of content and the extension of a shared knowledge base are essential.

  1. the group of things resulting from either of these processes: The collection War in Context provides a crucial culling of stories that I would surely have missed had I not read it.

Origin of culling

1

Words Nearby culling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use culling in a sentence

  • Across the Midwest, corn and soybeans are burning up in the field, and ranchers are culling their herds.

  • Perhaps ironically, many hunters claimed to be “culling” the herd, thereby saving it from over-population or starvation.

    Texas' Gunslinging Governor | Kinky Friedman | April 29, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • When the boatmen see it, they recognize it as the fleur de Rhône that the Anglore is so fond of culling.

    Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
  • Vann Larch, their nearest approach to an art specialist, took charge of culling the best from them.

    Space Viking | Henry Beam Piper
  • He can never have done culling the evidence that it presents, or enjoying the promise which it yields.

    How to Observe | Harriet Martineau
  • Sir culling Eardley was at that time zealous in the furtherance of village preaching.

  • Sir culling Eardley and others, in private as well as public, promoted the interests of the Alliance.