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
Bednar’s deservedly built up a lot of political capital from the ’22 Stanley Cup championship — but each postseason that’s followed has whittled away the comfort.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
Without historical habitat protections, a butterfly species such as this one might disappear entirely between underfunded surveys, vanishing before anyone realizes, while species such as the manatee may continue shrinking as previous methods of intervention get whittled away.
—Lois Parshley, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
But for years, Republicans have whittled away at the infrastructure of the original ACA.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
The problems, five fire district chiefs across Yolo and Placer counties say, stem from referendums about taxes and legislative decisions made in the last century which whittled away money.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
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Troy Renck, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
Without historical habitat protections, a butterfly species such as this one might disappear entirely between underfunded surveys, vanishing before anyone realizes, while species such as the manatee may continue shrinking as previous methods of intervention get whittled away.
—Lois Parshley, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
But for years, Republicans have whittled away at the infrastructure of the original ACA.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
The problems, five fire district chiefs across Yolo and Placer counties say, stem from referendums about taxes and legislative decisions made in the last century which whittled away money.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
Cite this Entry
“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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