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View synonyms for

cull

[ kuhl ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to select and remove from a group, especially to discard or destroy as inferior:

    When I cull the smaller curved saplings, I'm careful to protect and nurture the straighter and larger trees.

  2. to discard unwanted parts or remove choice parts from (a group):

    Ranchers must decide whether to buy expensive feed or cull their herds to weather the drought.

    Synonyms: ,

  3. to collect; gather; pluck:

    Quotations are culled from a variety of literature, diaries and letters, local histories, journals, and newspapers.

    Synonyms: ,



noun

  1. the act of culling.
  2. something culled, especially something picked out and put aside as inferior.

cull

/ ʌ /

verb

  1. to choose or gather the best or required examples
  2. to take out (an animal, esp an inferior one) from a herd
  3. to reduce the size of (a herd or flock) by killing a proportion of its members
  4. to gather (flowers, fruit, etc)
  5. to cease to employ; get rid of
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or product of culling
  2. an inferior animal taken from a herd or group
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ܱ· noun
  • dzܳ·ܱ verb (used with object)
  • ··ܱ verb (used with object)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cull1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English coilen, cuilen, cullen, from Anglo-French, Old French coillir, cuillir, from Latin colligere “to gather”; collect 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cull1

C15: from Old French coillir to pick, from Latin colligere; see collect 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The carnivorous mammals are classed as an invasive species in the islands, and a culling programme for stoats began in 2019.

From

Below, you’ll find our list of essential works of nonfiction published in the U.S. from 1996 to the present, culled from a survey of authors, editors, critics, scholars and other experts in the field.

From

Below, you’ll find our list of essential works of fiction published in the U.S. from 1996 to the present, culled from a survey of authors, editors, critics, scholars and other experts in the field.

From

Three months into 2025, over 30 million birds have been culled to control avian flu in the U.S.

From

"The Environment Ministry failed desperately to limit the number of bear attacks by the unprecedented culling of this protected species," he told the BBC.

From

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