Cull has a few related meanings, but they are not the same. It can mean to gather or pick out things, to reject something as inferiorof lower quality, value, or rank than others, or to remove weaker or unwantednot desired, needed, or welcomed members from a group. The verba word that expresses an action, state, or occurrence is the most common everyday form.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /kʌl/
Easy pronunciation: KUL (approximate spelling).
Stress: One syllable; stress falls on the whole word.
Verb sense only: to look for and gather, or to pick out from a larger group.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Cull Meaning
to collect or choose out of many things
Part of speech: verb
Definition: to look for and gather; to pick out from a larger group
Example: She culls facts from old reports for her article.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- pick — Works as a broad substitute when the meaning is choosing or gathering items.
- pluck — Fits when cull means to take or select items one by one.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Cull
Meaning 2
something or someone judged not good enough
Part of speech: noun
Definition: the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality
Example: That old joke was the cull of the competition.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- reject — Possible in this sense, but it is less natural as a direct synonym because it usually refers to the act or result of rejecting.
Meaning 3
to remove the weakest or unwanted ones
Part of speech: verb
Definition: to remove something that has been rejected; to thin out or eliminate weaker members of a group
Example: Farmers cull the sick members of the herd.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Cull Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- pick
- pluck
noun: a rejected person or thing
- reject
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not use cull to mean 'kill' in a general sense; in this word, the focus is on removing selected weak or unwanted items or animals.
- Do not confuse cull with 'cult' or 'call'. They are unrelated words.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does cull mean in English?
Cull can mean to gather or select items, to reject something as inferior, or to remove weaker or unwanted members from a group.
What is a simple synonym for cull?
For the main verb sense, pick is the closest simple synonym. Pluck can also work in some contexts.
Is cull a noun or a verb?
It is mainly a verb, but it can also be used as a noun for something rejected as inferior.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
