winnow
Americanverb (used with object)
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winnows,
present (3rd person singular)
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winnowed,
past participle, past
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winnowing
present participle
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to free (grain) from the lighter particles of chaff, dirt, etc., especially by throwing it into the air and allowing the wind or a forced current of air to blow away impurities.
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to drive or blow (chaff, dirt, etc.) away by fanning.
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to blow upon; fan.
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to subject to some process of separating or distinguishing; analyze critically; sift.
to winnow a mass of statements.
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to separate or distinguish (valuable from worthless parts) (sometimes followed byout ).
to winnow falsehood from truth.
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to pursue (a course) with flapping wings in flying.
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to fan or stir (the air) as with the wings in flying.
verb (used without object)
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winnows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
winnowed,
past participle, past
-
winnowing
present participle
-
to free grain from chaff by wind or driven air.
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to fly with flapping wings; flutter.
noun
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a device or contrivance used for winnowing.
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an act of winnowing.
verb
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to separate (grain) from (chaff) by means of a wind or current of air
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(tr) to examine in order to select the desirable elements
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archaic (tr) to beat (the air) with wings
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rare (tr) to blow upon; fan
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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winnowsimple
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winnowssimple
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have winnowedperfect
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has winnowedperfect
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am winnowingprogressive
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are winnowingprogressive
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is winnowingprogressive
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have been winnowingperfect progressive
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has been winnowingperfect progressive
Past
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winnowedsimple
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had winnowedperfect
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was winnowingprogressive
-
were winnowingprogressive
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had been winnowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of winnow
before 900; Middle English win ( d ) wen (v.), Old English windwian, derivative of wind wind 1
Explanation
To winnow is to blow something away until you are left with what you want, like grain from chaff. If you only want your favorite people to attend your party, you will need to winnow down the guest list from 300 to 30. To winnow is to use air to “separate the wheat from the chaff" — literally or figuratively. If a coach winnows down the top NBA draft picks to his number one choice, then he'll focus his negotiations on that player. Chances are, if you encounter the word winnow on a given day, it is probably not in the literal context of grain.
Vocabulary lists containing winnow
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Mythology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Faced with far more applications than slots, prestigious colleges winnow the pool of prospective admits through consideration of their academic records, test scores, activities and personal attributes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
So Zaslav has a more focused media group via Streaming & Studios, but leaving HBO Max in his hands will inevitably winnow down its once rich library even further.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2025
If she does enter the contest, the move is expected to winnow the field because of her national profile, fundraising ability and her multiple successful statewide campaigns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2025
Ahead of Iowa, Ms. Haley had been looking to winnow the field.
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
Then, we came and gathered up what remained of the paddy and took it away to thresh and winnow.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Then the RNA winnows the contending olfactory-receptor genes down to one.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2023
It progressively winnows out starlight, and stacks frame after frame to allow any faint planetary light to accumulate and eventually be seen.
From Scientific American ● Feb. 10, 2021
Rendell said he would prefer a model in which the primary season begins with four conventional debates, followed by six issue forums as the field winnows.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 11, 2019
Evolution is blind and evolutionary progress is a misnomer; natural selection carves and winnows according to the ever-changing status quo.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2019
It winnows through the stones as we watch, bubbling into the undeserving earth.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The two debates reflect a winnowed field of mayoral hopefuls who are leading the pack both in polling and in money raised ahead of the June 2 primary.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
What’s the point of watching a game that can be winnowed down to a series of inputs and outputs?
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
But its allure is being winnowed away by the noxious Russian thistle, the spread of which is entirely the fault of the ceaseless and unforgiving prairie wind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Merit’s measly weekly viewer numbers soon winnowed down further, to 17,000.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2025
His teeth were winnowed away by a vexatious Grisha, and now he can eat only pudding.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
The winnowing of victims has been the result of byzantine legal procedures, strict vetting and tightened eligibility rules, which victims told ProPublica and the Inquirer took them by surprise.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
Ask DePetro why someone might prefer his content to the nightly news, and he’ll gesture toward the rapidly winnowing media industry.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026
The winnowing has hit especially hard in Delaware, DuPont’s home base.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Discovery’s winnowing of bidders is expected to accelerate this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2025
“At the sacred threshing-floor, when they are winnowing, she herself, Demeter of the corn-ripe yellow hair, divides the grain and the chaff in the rush of the wind, and the heap of chaff grows white.”
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
