winnow down
To reduce the number of candidates for something by judging their quality and rejecting some.
winnow
UK /ˈwɪnəʊ/ US /ˈwɪnoʊ/
verb 4noun 2
Collocations
2VERB + WINNOW
began
WINNOW + NOUN
delta's, river
Definitions
verb
1
To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
[W]ind began to winnow the river delta's dried sediments.
2
To separate, sift, analyse, or test by separating items having different values.
They winnowed the field to twelve.
They winnowed the winners from the losers.
3
To blow upon or toss about by blowing; to set in motion as with a fan or wings.
The light snow lay on the narrow and winding path before them, pure as if just fresh winnowed by the wind.
Gulls average much larger than terns, with stouter build; the feet are larger and more ambulatorial, the wings are shorter and not so thin; the birds winnow the air in a steady course unlike the buoyant dashing flight of their relatives.
4
To move about with a flapping motion, as of wings; to flutter.
noun
1
That which winnows or which is used in winnowing; a contrivance for fanning or winnowing grain.
2
The act of winnowing
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — the act of separating grain from chaff
- winnowing
- sifting
verb — blow away or off with a current of air
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
401
[W]ind began to winnow the river delta's dried sediments.
Wiktionary02
They winnowed the field to twelve.
Wiktionary03
They winnowed the winners from the losers.
Wiktionary04
I can play well on the pipe, I can prune vines, I can dig, I can plant, I can plough, and I can winnow.
Tatoeba · #6213225Usage Notes
i Register
In some senses, winnow is marked as figuratively, literary, dated. Watch for register when choosing this word.
Your note
not saved0 chars