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winnowed

  • past participle
    of winnow.
    winnow
    verb (used with object)
    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.
  • past tense form
    of winnow.
    winnow
    verb (used with object)
    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.

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:

His contact with his mother winnowed for a few years, though they are now reconnected; his father, Iranian folk musician Hadi Montazeri, remained in close contact, sending his sons weekly groceries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 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

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Merit’s measly weekly viewer numbers soon winnowed down further, to 17,000.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2025

Even at these lower-than-recommended levels, her appetite soon winnowed and she began to shed weight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2024

Those invaders get winnowed by natural selection, and only a few of them succeed in establishing themselves as human diseases.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond