whittle down

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

In June, when Lopez’s family returned to the courthouse for the trial readiness conference, their numbers had been whittled down again. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026

An election that includes more than two candidates will initially see a two-thirds majority required in the opening round, with further rounds of voting held until the number is whittled down. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

The tight end room whittles down by one player, as rookie undrafted free agent signings Trigg and Rogers will look to force the Cowboys’ coaching staff to take four tight ends on the roster. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2026

Lamont’s chief fiscal focus since 2020 has been on channeling $11 billion in surpluses — forced by aggressive savings rules — to whittle down a hefty pension debt created over seven decades prior to 2011. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 17 July 2026

Rhymes for whittle down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown