narrow down
Reduce the possibilities
To narrow down is to reduce a larger set to fewer possibilities through elimination or refinement: We've narrowed down the candidates to three finalists, Let's narrow down the options.
The phrase implies progressive focusing—starting broad and working toward specificity.
You narrow down choices, suspects, causes, or search results.
- pinpointLocate with exactness
- zoom inIncrease visual magnification
- home inFocus precisely on
- specializeFocus on particular field
- hone inFocus with precision
close in on · refine · winnow · weed out · focus · concentrate · focalise · limit · specify · zero in on · shortlist · sift · determine · zero in · distill · concretize · streamline · isolate
- problem-solvingproblem solving, puzzles, riddles, logic, solutions
- decisionschoice, make a decision, choices, yes, no
- scaling downscale back, cut back, dial back, taper off, roll back
- exclusionexclude, excluded, rule out, banned, bans
- focusfocus, concentration, attention, focal point, concentrate
- magnifyzoom in, magnify, enlarge, close-up, magnification