cull

American  

[kuhl] / kʌl /

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:

   single out , cherry-pick

3. to collect; gather; pluck.

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

   Synonyms:

   amass , garner

---

noun

1. the act of culling.

2. something culled, especially something picked out and put aside as inferior.

cull British  

/ kʌl /

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

---

noun

1. the act or product of culling

2. an inferior animal taken from a herd or group

Other Word Forms

• culler noun
• outcull verb (used with object)
• overcull verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of cull

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

Example Sentences

On 12 November veterinary officials culled all the livestock after a case of sheep and goat pox was detected.

From BBC

Tens of thousands of turkeys and chickens have been culled in recent weeks following a spate of cases in mid, west and north Wales.

From BBC

"Thorough culling" to reduce the number of bears is the only effective way to reduce the risk for local people, researcher Ohnishi said.

From Barron's

“Doing this rapid culling of your workforce, it’s very risky,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Avian flu has spread globally in recent years, leading to mass culling of poultry, some human deaths, and rising egg prices.

From Barron's

Related Words

• extract
• glean
• pluck
• select
• sift
• winnow