Synonyms
Verb
Examples of chisel in a Sentence
Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2023
The mountains of premium rock were shipped first to Rajasthan, where thousands of craftsmen used chisel and hammer and ageless technique to extract the loose-limbed god within each block.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 9 Nov. 2023
From another perspective, the fabric almost looks like the undulating surface of an unfinished sculpture by Bernini, waiting for the artist’s chisel.
—Zachary Small, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Get the tip of the cold chisel between the threads and give the chisel a sharp blow using a ball peen hammer.
—Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 7 June 2023
This chisels at a chief TikTok creator complaint: making TikToks is hard.
—Alexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023
The tools of ancient graffiti artists were simple—a knife, a chisel, perhaps a stick of charcoal.
—Amy Crawford, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023
Moai were carved using a toki (a chisel made of rock).
—Gwen McClure, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023
Early cans, a niche item, were opened with a chisel and hammer.
—Leo Deluca, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 July 2023
Clay Risen, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
Extracting a clump using a pick or shovel goes about as fast as chiseling your way out of Alcatraz.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2023
The women’s headstones, chiselled from the traditional flinty-looking local stone, are arrayed in a long, dignified arc.
—Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2023
Her other assets were all there, clear to see in the breadth of her game: terrific dodging footwork, whipping strokes, chiseled fitness.
—Sally Jenkins, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Sep. 2023
The grille is less chiseled than before and flows smoothly into the headlights, similar to how the Q8 e-tron's grille is integrated into the lights.
—Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2023
Instead, ask yourself what has been left out—what’s been chiselled away from the raw slab of Everything?
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2023
The ability to chisel his answers in an interview into the right timing, the right pauses, the right gestures.
—Boris Sollazzo, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Aug. 2023
Photo: © 2016 Christie’s Images Limited One of Edmondson’s earliest pieces, a tombstone for a woman named Bernice Williams, is a lamb chiseled out of rough stone, likely around the time the women’s hospital closed.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 28 July 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chisel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French *chisel, cisel, from Vulgar Latin *cisellum, alteration of caesellum, from Latin caesus, past participle of caedere to cut
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1509, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing chisel
Dictionary Entries Near chisel
Cite this Entry
“Chisel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chisel. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
chisel
1 of 2 noun
chisel
2 of 2 verb
Medical Definition
chisel
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on chisel
Nglish: Translation of chisel for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chisel for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chisel
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