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To separate or remove from a larger group or collection
“To winnow the wheat from the chaff and to prepare it in an easily digested shape for the tender stomachs of first- and second-year students taxes the resources of the most capable teacher.”
To analyze or test by separating items having different values
“We arrived at a piece whose structure seemed effective but whose length was excessive, and so we began to winnow the data further.”
To find or identify (a valuable or useful part of something)
“Analysts attempt to winnow a few kernels of truth from a mass of falsehood in order to construct a comprehensible mosaic from a swiftly flowing stream of uncertain data.”
To blow upon, as with a fan or wings
“The birds winnow the air in a steady course, unlike the buoyant dashing flight of their relatives.”
To inspect carefully or in detail
To gather or collect, typically what is left over
To search determinedly for someone or something
To cause to move or be apart
A large sieve or riddle, especially one for sorting substances such as grain or coal into different sizes
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