process of elimination

process of elimination (plural processes of elimination)

1. A logical method to identify an entity of interest among several ones by excluding all other entities.

• “process of elimination”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “process of elimination” (US) / “process of elimination” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “by a process of elimination”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.