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
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
The event, stop No. 8 on the World Tour, comes after a mid-year cut following the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, where the number of competitors was whittled down.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
Before the sport was whittled down, NASCAR had enough automotive brands to fill a Sears-Roebuck catalog.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
The event, stop No. 8 on the World Tour, comes after a mid-year cut following the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, where the number of competitors was whittled down.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
Before the sport was whittled down, NASCAR had enough automotive brands to fill a Sears-Roebuck catalog.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 8 June 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 24 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share