culled; culling; culls
1
: to select from a group : choose
culled the best passages from the poet's work
Damaged fruits are culled before the produce is shipped.
2
: to reduce or control the size of (something, such as a herd) by removal (as by hunting or slaughter) of especially weak or sick individuals
The town issued hunting licenses in order to cull the deer population.
culling a herd of cattle
also
: to hunt or kill (individuals) for culling
culling diseased cows
culled hundreds of deer
culler
noun
: something rejected especially as being inferior or worthless
… how to separate good-looking pecans from culls.—
The Washington Post
The Washington PostExamples of cull in a Sentence
Verb
He culls his herd annually.
The town issued hunting licenses in order to cull the deer population.
Noun
the unbruised apples will be packed in bags, and the culls will be used for cider
Recent Examples on the Web
Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
The department requires culling flocks — killing infected birds — to prevent the spread, which has further contributed to egg shortages across the country.
—Esther Sun, Mercury News, 10 July 2025
Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, who was confirmed by the Senate to lead the agency earlier this month, has said that VA benefits will not be cut despite the staffing cull.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cull
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Verb
Under federal policy, to prevent the spread of the virus, entire flocks must be culled if even a single infected bird is found on a farm.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
The department requires culling flocks — killing infected birds — to prevent the spread, which has further contributed to egg shortages across the country.
—Esther Sun, Mercury News, 10 July 2025
Noun
Kennedy went so far as to appeal to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to cancel the cull.
—Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, who was confirmed by the Senate to lead the agency earlier this month, has said that VA benefits will not be cut despite the staffing cull.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cull
Cite this Entry
“Cull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cull. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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