cull
- v. 挑选, 采集
- v. 捕杀, 淘汰
- Definition
- v. to choose or gather something from a larger group
- v. to kill a large number of animals to reduce or control a population
- Example
- Farmers had to cull some of the herd due to the disease outbreak.
- 由于疫情爆发，农民们不得不淘汰一部分牲畜。
Synonyms & Differences 近义词辨析
Compared meaning: to choose from a larger group (verb).
比较义项：从较大的群体中挑选、采集（v.）。
- pick
Neutral, everyday word for choosing something carefully from a group of items, often concrete things like fruit or people; no sense of removing unwanted ones.
中性日常用词，指从一群事物中仔细挑出某个，常用于水果、人员等具体对象，不含“剔除不需要之物”的意味。
She picked the brightest flowers for the bouquet.
她挑选了最鲜艳的花朵来做花束。
- cull 本词
More formal word for selecting from a large group, often implying removal of weaker or excess members; common in farming, data or research contexts.
较正式的用词，指从大群体中筛选，常带有“剔除较弱或多余部分”的意味，多见于农业、数据或资料整理等语境。
The zookeeper culled the weakest animals from the overpopulated herd.
动物园管理员不得不从过剩的兽群中淘汰最弱小的动物。
Pick and cull both mean to choose from a larger group. Pick is the neutral, everyday word, for choosing things like fruit or people. Cull is more formal, meaning to select from a group, often removing weaker members, common in farming or research.
这两个词都表示“从一群事物中选出”，但语气和使用场合不同：pick 是日常中性词，强调仔细挑选具体事物；cull 更正式，强调从大批对象中筛选，常带有“剔除较弱或多余部分”的意味，多用于农业、数据整理等语境。此处不比较 pick 的其他用法（如“挑起争吵”pick a fight）。