whittle down
phrasal verb
whittled down; whittling down; whittles down
: to gradually make (something) smaller by removing parts
We whittled the list down to four people.
Examples of whittle down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stewart started the Sunday of the 1993 Memorial Tournament three strokes ahead of Azinger but by the tourney’s 72nd hole that lead had been whittled down to striking distance.
—
Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Over the course of six weeks, this initial group of islanders (OGs) are introduced to new people (bombshells), challenges, and romantic connections while the competition pool whittles down to four final couples.
—Daysia Tolentino, EW.com, 8 July 2025
Before boarding the cruise ship SS Adventure, where thirty-three America’s Next Top Model hopefuls would be whittled down to thirteen, the contract the show had sent me seemed huge.
—Sarah Hartshorne
july 9, Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
What was supposed to be a 10-day trip was whittled down to only a couple of days.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Over the course of six weeks, this initial group of islanders (OGs) are introduced to new people (bombshells), challenges, and romantic connections while the competition pool whittles down to four final couples.
—Daysia Tolentino, EW.com, 8 July 2025
Before boarding the cruise ship SS Adventure, where thirty-three America’s Next Top Model hopefuls would be whittled down to thirteen, the contract the show had sent me seemed huge.
—Sarah Hartshorne
july 9, Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
What was supposed to be a 10-day trip was whittled down to only a couple of days.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
Cite this Entry
“Whittle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20down. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
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