whittle away
phrasal verb
whittled away; whittling away; whittles away
: to reduce or get rid of (something) slowly
I'm still trying to whittle away a few more pounds.
Examples of whittle away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Timberwolves built a 14-point first-half lead, but the Blazers whittled away at it, coming within 62-60 in the third quarter before Edwards' 3-pointer capped a 10-2 run that stretched Minnesota's lead to 72-62.
—
Anne M. Peterson, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
The Heat whittled away at Denver’s lead and closed to within 56-51 at the half.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024
But Pétain’s regime, which had, to varying degrees, also administered much of the initial occupied zone, endured, even as the marshal’s power continued to be whittled away by the occupiers and their confederates within his own government.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
Defenders of the initiative petition process call Republican efforts to raise the threshold for passing amendments an attack on direct democracy, whittling away at a crucial tool used by voters to bypass the legislature.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2024
The shrinking level of aid, officials and soldiers say, is affecting Ukraine on the battlefield, where Russia is using its advantage in artillery and personnel to whittle away at Ukraine’s defenses.
—Marc Santora, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024
Or social media, or smartphones, or any of the myriad things that distract us and whittle away at what's left of our attention spans.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 14 Jan. 2024
Los Angeles kept whittling away at the start of the second quarter.
—Joe Reedy, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024
Miami whittled away most of the shot clock before Robinson missed a three from the corner.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
Anne M. Peterson, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
The Heat whittled away at Denver’s lead and closed to within 56-51 at the half.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024
But Pétain’s regime, which had, to varying degrees, also administered much of the initial occupied zone, endured, even as the marshal’s power continued to be whittled away by the occupiers and their confederates within his own government.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
Defenders of the initiative petition process call Republican efforts to raise the threshold for passing amendments an attack on direct democracy, whittling away at a crucial tool used by voters to bypass the legislature.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2024
The shrinking level of aid, officials and soldiers say, is affecting Ukraine on the battlefield, where Russia is using its advantage in artillery and personnel to whittle away at Ukraine’s defenses.
—Marc Santora, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024
Or social media, or smartphones, or any of the myriad things that distract us and whittle away at what's left of our attention spans.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 14 Jan. 2024
Los Angeles kept whittling away at the start of the second quarter.
—Joe Reedy, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024
Miami whittled away most of the shot clock before Robinson missed a three from the corner.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whittle away.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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