chisel

noun

chis·el | \ ˈchi-zᵊl

Definition of chisel

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a metal tool with a sharpened edge at one end used to chip, carve, or cut into a solid material (such as wood, stone, or metal)

chisel

verb

chiseled or chiselled; chiseling or chiselling\ˈchi-zə-liŋ, ˈchiz-liŋ \

Definition of chisel (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to cut or work with or as if with a chisel

2 : to employ shrewd or unfair practices on in order to obtain one's end also : to obtain by such practices chisel a job

intransitive verb

1 : to work with or as if with a chisel

2a : to employ shrewd or unfair practices

b : to thrust oneself : intrude chisel in on a racket

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Examples of chisel in a Sentence

Verb

He chiseled off a corner of the block. Letters were chiseled into a wall.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Set against this are the pleasures of making things by hand and looking more closely at the natural world: Berg learns how to level a chisel, and to know the rates at which various species of wood dry. — John Williams, New York Times, "Can Handiwork Save Your Soul? A Quiet Novel Suggests It Can," 10 July 2018 Clean up the bottom of each dado with a 1/4-inch chisel. — Roy Berendson, Popular Mechanics, "6 Simple Projects You Can Make From Scrap Wood," 21 Mar. 2018 Regan loved tools, and kept his chisels and planes razor sharp. — Anne M. Hamilton, courant.com, "He Brought His Skill For Teaching, Knack For Colonial Buildings To Coventry," 15 July 2018 That means that instead of chisel work in the field, the paleontologists are wielding jackhammers and rock saws. — Steve Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "'Antarctic Dinosaurs' bring new ice age to Field Museum," 13 June 2018 That's a lot of work, and most bone tools from the same time period aren't nearly so carefully prepared; bone awls and chisels were usually worked just enough to sharpen the business end. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Early Middle-Eastern culture had a thing for gazelle scapula," 1 May 2018 Bites were served at a bar where bread was sliced with a workman’s saw and for dessert, oversize bricks of chocolate were hammered into with a chisel. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Yoox, Toiletpaper, and Wallpaper* Host a Garage-Cowboy Disco to Close Out Salone del Mobile," 20 Apr. 2018 Applications include metal, concrete, and drywall demo, or driving a punch or chisel. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Dewalt Debuts Its First Sledgehammers and Axes With Carbon Fiber Handles," 21 Mar. 2018 The team also found chunks of black rock and pieces of red ochre that had been punctured by sharp stone chisels. — Ann Gibbons, Science | AAAS, "Signs of symbolic behavior emerged at the dawn of our species in Africa," 15 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But now, reports the BBC, archeologists in Greece have found 13 verses from The Odyssey chiseled into a clay tablet dating to the third century A.D. or earlier, representing the oldest lines of the poet found in the ancient land. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Oldest Greek Fragment of Homer Discovered on Clay Tablet," 11 July 2018 My husband did all the stonework, too, and chiseled each flagstone into a perfect shape. — Chris Ross, sandiegouniontribune.com, "‘Fairy garden’ makeover for drought-ravaged yard," 3 May 2018 The rule is a far-reaching step by the administration to wield its regulatory powers to chisel away at the Obama-era health law. — Stephanie Armour, WSJ, "New Trump Administration Rule to Expand Access to Health Plans Without ACA Protections," 19 June 2018 Rozas 1er Cru is a step up, not as effusive or ample as La Bruja, and a little more chiseled. — New York Times, "Reviving Ancient Spanish Vineyards, Building New Traditions," 24 May 2018 Platter appears to have chiseled the pieces out of wood before casting them in bronze, offsetting smooth exterior walls with more rugged, dappled interiors. — Leah Ollman, latimes.com, "Marvelous or maddening? In Cameron Platter's show, it depends on which way you face," 4 June 2018 The screwdriver used to chisel out the door panel was recovered from the back yard. — James Karst, NOLA.com, "'A peculiar turn' in the Axeman investigation of 1918," 13 May 2018 Two decades of efforts by Kremlin specialists have chiseled an international icon of inscrutability and might out of a former municipal bureaucrat who wore ill-fitting suits. — Washington Post, "How the Kremlin turned the Russian president into a global icon," 12 July 2018 Miners methodically chisel out rock, while hulking, yellow trucks crawl slowly up the roads looping around the pit, each carrying dozens of tons of ore hiding a few precious diamonds. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, "A Diamond Giant Plays Up Its Russian Ties to Appeal to Americans," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chisel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.