Meanings
present singular third person separates the wheat from the chaff · participle present separating the wheat from the chaff · participle past separated the wheat from the chaff · past separated the wheat from the chaff
- idiomaticintransitiveTo select only that which is of value.
As a punishment, Zhemao and her affiliated accounts were suspended permanently. Most of her articles were deleted based on community consensus. Some Wikipedians even wrote to experts, seeking help to separate the wheat from the chaff.
2022 July 13, Rachel Cheung, “A Bored Chinese Housewife Spent Years Falsifying Russian History on Wikipedia”, in Vice, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2026Synonyms: sort the wheat from the chaff, winnow the wheat from the chaff, winnow, winnow grain from chaff
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo select only that which is of value.
Origin
The figurative sense is by extension from the literal sense, which is threshing. Because threshing has been an important activity for humans for thousands of years, it is well represented both in folk wisdom and (relatedly) in the Bible; for example, Matthew 3:12.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 分清良莠
- 分清良莠 (fēnqīng liángyǒu)to select only that which is of value
Czech oddělit zrno od plev
- oddělit zrno od plevto select only that which is of value
Danish skille klinten fra hveden
- skille klinten fra hvedento select only that which is of value
Dutch het kaf van het koren scheiden
- het kaf van het koren scheidento select only that which is of value
Finnish erottaa jyvät akanoista
- erottaa jyvät akanoistato select only that which is of value
French séparer le bon grain de l'ivraie
- séparer le bon grain de l'ivraieto select only that which is of value
German die Spreu vom Weizen trennen
- die Spreu vom Weizen trennento select only that which is of value
Greek διαχωρίζω την ήρα από το στάρι
- διαχωρίζω την ήρα από το στάρι (diachorízo tin íra apó to stári)to select only that which is of value
Hebrew לָבוּר אֶת הַבָּר מִן הַתֶּבֶן
- לָבוּר אֶת הַבָּר מִן הַתֶּבֶן (lavúr et habár min hatéven)to select only that which is of value
Hungarian elválasztja/szétválasztja az ocsút a búzától
- elválasztja/szétválasztja az ocsút a búzátólto select only that which is of value
Icelandic skilja hismið frá kjarnanum
- skilja hismið frá kjarnanumto select only that which is of value
Irish an grán a scaradh ón lóchán
- an grán a scaradh ón lóchánto select only that which is of value
Italian separare il grano dalla pula, separare il buono dal cattivo
- separare il grano dalla pulato select only that which is of value
- separare il buono dal cattivoto select only that which is of value
Japanese もみがらから麦をより分ける, 良いものと悪いものを分ける
- もみがらから麦をより分ける (momigara kara mugi o yoriwakeru)to select only that which is of value
- 良いものと悪いものを分ける (yoi mono to warui mono o wakeru)to select only that which is of value
Norwegian Bokmål skille klinten fra hveten
- skille klinten fra hvetento select only that which is of value
Polish oddzielać ziarno od plew, oddzielić ziarno od plew
- oddzielać ziarno od plewto select only that which is of value
- oddzielić ziarno od plewto select only that which is of value
Portuguese separar o trigo do joio, separar o joio do trigo
- separar o trigo do joioto select only that which is of value
- separar o joio do trigoto select only that which is of value
Russian отделя́ть зёрна от пле́вел, отдели́ть зёрна от пле́вел
- отделя́ть зёрна от пле́вел (otdeljátʹ zjórna ot plével)to select only that which is of value
- отдели́ть зёрна от пле́вел (otdelítʹ zjórna ot plével)to select only that which is of value
- му́хи отде́льно, котле́ты отде́льно (múxi otdélʹno, kotléty otdélʹno)to select only that which is of value
- отдели́ть а́гнцев от ко́злищ (otdelítʹ ágncev ot kózlišč)to select only that which is of value
Spanish apartar el grano de la paja, separar la paja del trigo
- apartar el grano de la pajato select only that which is of value
- separar la paja del trigoto select only that which is of value
- separar el trigo de la pajato select only that which is of value
Swedish skilja agnarna från vetet
- skilja agnarna från vetetto select only that which is of value
Cite this entry
separate the wheat from the chaff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/separate%20the%20wheat%20from%20the%20chaff
“separate the wheat from the chaff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/separate%20the%20wheat%20from%20the%20chaff. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “separate the wheat from the chaff,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/separate%20the%20wheat%20from%20the%20chaff.
Source: separate the wheat from the chaff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.