winnow – to remove something until you are left with that you want, typically wheat from chaff

(Pronounced win-oh)

To remember the definition of the word winnow, use the following mnemonic:

To win over (winnow) the farmer, I separated the wheat from the chaff, leaving him with what he wanted.

Examples of winnow in a sentence

The polling data helped them to winnow down the options and make the most popular selection.

The least qualified applicants were winnowed out of the initial pool.

Harvesters winnowed the chaff from the wheat.