noun
the act of separating grain from chaff
Synonyms
Examples
- the winnowing was done by women
verb
separate the chaff from grain by using air currents
Examples
- She stood there winnowing grain all day in the field
verb
blow on
Examples
- The wind was winnowing her hair
- the wind winnowed the grass
verb
select desirable parts from a group or list
Synonyms
cull out
Examples
- cull out the interesting letters from the poet's correspondence
- winnow the finalists from the long list of applicants
verb
blow away or off with a current of air
Synonyms
Examples
- winnow chaff
- The speaker ceased to be an amusing little gnat to be fanned away and was kicked off the forum