winnow down

verb

To reduce the number of candidates for something by judging their quality and rejecting some.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbwinnow down (third-person singular simple present winnows down, present participle winnowing down, simple past and past participle winnowed down)

present singular third person winnows down · participle present winnowing down · participle past winnowed down · past winnowed down

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo reduce the number of candidates for something by judging their quality and rejecting some.
Cite this entry
APA

winnow down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winnow%20down

MLA

“winnow down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winnow%20down. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “winnow down,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winnow%20down.

Source: winnow down on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.