EN

Synonyms for cull

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

pick out gather pluck glean cherry-pick

All synonyms

Verb

1. Pick

pick, choose, pick out, gather, single out, collect, pluck, select, glean, elect, sort dated

Other

cherry-pick

Noun

dupe, reject, gull, fall guy informal, pigeon, sucker, gudgeon, mug, cully, sap

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To pick or take someone or something (from a larger group).

    1984, cover star: JOE DALLESANDRO culled from Andy Warhol's FLESH — anonymous; sleeve notes from The Smiths' eponymous album

  2. n. 1

    A selection.

Forms

Plural
culls → dupes, rejects, gulls, pigeons…
Past participle
culled
e.g. culled → picked, choosed, gathered, collected…

Choose the right word

Cull, Colligere or Select?

Cull, from the Latin colligere, commonly means to collect, as well as to select. In a garden we cull the choicest flowers.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • gather You must gather your party before venturing forth.
  • pluck Can you pluck up the courage to talk to her?
  • glean What can you glean from his search history?

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
cullfalling
gatherrising
pluckrising
gleanrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
mug1, sap1
4 letters
pick1, sort1, gull1, dupe1
5 letters
elect2, pluck1, glean1, cully2
6 letters
choose1, select2, gather2, reject2, pigeon2, sucker2
7 letters
collect2, gudgeon2

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (elect2 = 2 syllables).