pruning

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I like to use the metaphor of pruning a tree," she says.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Instead the final four candidates for the job were a range of eager submissives, each straining to appear enthusiastic to pick up the pruning shears and start cutting rates by the bunch:

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

This idea led to the widely accepted theory that excessive "synaptic pruning," the process of removing weak or unused connections, could contribute to neuropsychiatric conditions.

From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026

Companies are pruning underperforming legacy brands and doubling down on faster-growing categories.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling