whittle

noun

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whit·tle | \ ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl

Definition of whittle

(Entry 1 of 2)

archaic

: a large knife

whittle

verb

whittled; whittling\ ˈ(h)wit-liŋ , ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl-iŋ

Definition of whittle (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife

b : to shape or form by so paring or cutting

2 : to reduce, remove, or destroy gradually as if by cutting off bits with a knife : pare whittle down expenses

intransitive verb

1 : to cut or shape something (such as wood) by or as if by paring it with a knife

2 : to wear oneself or another out with fretting

Other Words from whittle More Example Sentences Phrases Containing whittle Learn More About whittle

Examples of whittle in a Sentence

Verb He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick. She whittled a walking stick from a maple tree branch.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Whittle down the big idea, ratchet it up a notch, and repeat to a beat—fight the power, and imagine all the people living life in peace, because God is a d.j. — Matthew Trammell, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Germany, the bloc’s biggest economy, is particularly reliant on Russia’s gas to power its homes and heavy industry, but has managed to whittle Moscow’s share of its imports down to 35% from 55% before the start of the war in Ukraine. — Anna Cooban, CNN, 1 June 2022 With more than 30 candidates vying to become Boston’s next police commissioner, the task ahead of the mayor’s search committee is now to whittle the list down to three. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 May 2022 For Gibson, Scotti managed to whittle a nine-count charge down to three, but the evidence was overwhelming, and she was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison. — Susan Orlean, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2022 The Bulls had renewed energy coming out of the locker room, with Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu hitting 3-pointers to whittle the deficit to 66-55. — Ben Steele, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2022 The field of 64 will whittle down to 32 by the time Saturday’s slate of games is finalized. — Xl Media, cleveland, 16 Mar. 2022 Using contractor pathologists in other states, the office began working to whittle down the backlog. — Leah Willingham, ajc, 30 Apr. 2022 What’s more exciting is that now, researchers have observed crows using their beaks to whittle a hook at the ends of these twigs for even easier access to food in tight spaces. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2022 With three in four taxpayers typically receiving refund checks every year, the money represents an important windfall that households rely on to pay bills, save or whittle down debt. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2022 See More

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