whittle away

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

Democrats are hoping to whittle away at that lead the old-fashioned way — by winning elections. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

The billionaires’ strategy is whittling away at SEIU’s influence in the state Legislature, where the state council has historically used its endorsements and army of volunteers to boost progressive candidates aligned with their cause. — Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

Purges of the state bureaucracy and judiciary followed, while Erdogan whittled away at the Turkish republic’s secular foundations with his brand of religious nationalism. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 9 July 2026

In front of a raucous home crowd, Golden State built a lead as large as 18 in the first half, only to see the Mercury whittle away at that advantage throughout the final two quarters. — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

Rhymes for whittle away

• andromache
• bioassay
• cabriolet
• cercariae
• communique
• companionway
• compositae
• decussate
• examinee
• fabaceae
• glyphosate
• gramineae