as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
culled the best short stories from the author's body of writings
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Recent Examples of culling
Veterinary experts recommend culling infected animals or isolating them.
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Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
But even bad songs are tough to whittle into a list and culling some of the worst offenders is highly subjective.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Most human cases have occurred after coming into contact with infected cattle, infected poultry farms or other culling operations.
—Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2025
In most economies, the market would sort out this mess by culling the weakest players.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2025
But the troops won’t be culling the bears – they’re not allowed to under Japanese law.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Now, a controversial management strategy would involve culling more than 15,000 annually.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
After some pink-slipping and culling (hello, Stephen Colbert) by the previous Shari Redstone regime, Ellison’s Skydance did receive quick regulatory approval of the $8 billion Paramount purchase once the corporate scalpings were done.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
The 'Roadblocks' Hegseth in February fired the top uniformed lawyers, culling the armed forces' most senior ports of call for advice on whether orders are legal.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culling
Verb
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While Hilton has been involved in various ways with the festival, for the past several years the person selecting the musicals being read has been Michael Fling, who began as an artistic associate at Goodspeed in 2019 and became its associate artistic director in 2024.—
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When selecting the perfect color for her look, Domingo insisted that green was the one.—
Verb
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According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s 2026 Kitchen Trends Report, homeowners are increasingly choosing appliances that create a better environment for cooking and gathering.—
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This path begins with choosing leaders who will put principle over politics and ideology, with a promise to focus on the middle class as the center of every policy.—
Verb
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From the costume-picking process to the crazy disguises stars must wear off camera, keep scrolling for the wildest rules contestants on The Masked Singer must follow.—
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Other photos show them on the sand with their arms around each other and sharing a kiss, with Tatum picking her up and holding her over his head at one point.—
Cite this Entry
“Culling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culling. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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