thin the ranks

Now they'll have a chance to thin the ranks a bit.

Jack the deposit up to £5,000 - that would thin the ranks and sort the men from the boys.

Once again natural mortality was thinning the ranks of those I loved the most.

Some experts believe that economics may thin the ranks, even if regulators do not.

Thinning the ranks would break the attack, and enable him to charge through.

But she acknowledged that the coming Thanksgiving holiday may thin the ranks.

At the very least they'd succeeded in thinning the ranks of the pirates.

Age and death have thinned the ranks to a national membership of 30,000 (as at September, 2003).

Nearly everybody agrees there are too many celebrants, but few agree on how to thin the ranks.

If he thinned the ranks of the foe, reserves would take their place.

All that he could hope for was to thin the ranks of the enemy before he fell.

As you, having followed me thus far, will be aware, we had thinned the ranks of the Burmans.

Besides, it was a trifle early to finish thinning the ranks.

New laws that required producers to have college degrees thinned the ranks of movie makers.

This will further thin the ranks of family physicians at a time when aging patients will need more medical attention.

Gradually, however, the hostile fire increased, thinning the ranks of supporting units.

Now, inevitably time will weather the monuments and thin the ranks of the veterans who march in the parades.

Larger carnivores were essential to thin the ranks of the abundant prey.

His volleys had thinned the ranks of the enemies.

Yet those left still contested for rule, and further thinned the ranks of those born with the gift.

Retirements and natural attrition were also thinning the ranks.

They made thinning the ranks of our uninsured an issue of moral necessity – and showed how it could be done.

At the same time, the recession that began in July has thinned the ranks of creditworthy borrowers.

One hundred jobs are to be winnowed through attrition this year, thinning the ranks to the lowest level in seven years.

Such unsettling data, coming week after week, are thinning the ranks of the optimists.