1. the act of cutting away dead or unwanted parts of a plant to encourage growth
2. the process of removing unnecessary or unwanted elements from something

1. present participle of prune: cutting away dead or unwanted parts of a plant
2. present participle of prune: removing unnecessary or unwanted elements

Examples

• The gardener spent the morning pruning the rose bushes.
• Regular pruning helps fruit trees produce better crops.
• The editor suggested pruning several paragraphs from the article.
• Pruning dead branches prevents disease from spreading.
• She was pruning her email list to remove inactive subscribers.
• The pruning of the hedge made it look much neater.
• Budget pruning became necessary after the company’s losses.