1. separated grain from chaff by blowing air through it
Usage: past tense of winnow
2. removed unwanted elements from a group or collection
Usage: figurative use

Examples

• The farmer winnowed the wheat to remove the chaff.
• She winnowed the grain using traditional methods.
• The committee winnowed the applications down to five finalists.
• He winnowed through hundreds of resumes to find qualified candidates.
• The editor winnowed the manuscript, removing unnecessary passages.
• They winnowed the list of potential locations for the new store.