WordValeweed out
to remove what is unwanted
In more detail
1. (verb) to remove unwanted plants from a garden or other area
2. (verb) to remove or get rid of unwanted people or things from a group
Examples
- 1. I need to weed out the dandelions from my lawn. 2. The company weeded out underperforming employees during the restructuring.
How to use weed out
Weed out is primarily used in the figurative sense of systematically removing undesirable elements from a larger group or situation. While it originally refers to removing unwanted garden plants, it is now more commonly applied to eliminating inferior job candidates, defective products, or problematic people from an organization. The expression carries an implication of careful selection and gradual removal rather than sudden dismissal.
Common phrases
- weed out the weak
- weed out candidates
- weed out unwanted plants
- weed out problems
- begin to weed out
- help weed out
Synonyms
eliminate · remove · cull · root out · exclude
Word family
weeding out · weeded out · weeds out
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use 'weed out' as an intransitive verb (e.g., 'the weak will weed out'), but it requires a direct object naming what is being removed.
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