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
But Project 2025’s robust sections on how the next administration could whittle away climate-change research have also caught the attention of lawmakers.
—
Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 16 July 2024
The truth is that few Americans today have any understanding of the degree to which the Constitution’s safeguards are being whittled away.
—Mike Pence, National Review, 19 June 2024
The plan is to whittle away at ISIS control surrounding Mosul, advance into the city from various angles, and leave an open corridor out of the city to allow for an ISIS retreat back to Syria.
—Afshon Ostovar, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2016
Some states have whittled away at the rules; Maryland, for example, has scaled back training requirements and background checks.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for whittle away 
Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 16 July 2024
The truth is that few Americans today have any understanding of the degree to which the Constitution’s safeguards are being whittled away.
—Mike Pence, National Review, 19 June 2024
The plan is to whittle away at ISIS control surrounding Mosul, advance into the city from various angles, and leave an open corridor out of the city to allow for an ISIS retreat back to Syria.
—Afshon Ostovar, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2016
Some states have whittled away at the rules; Maryland, for example, has scaled back training requirements and background checks.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for whittle away
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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“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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