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

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

Ultimately, the agency whittled down its deficit to $66 million. — Jillian Taylor, StateImpact, 30 June 2026

With the World Cup whittling down from 48 teams to 32 teams after an exciting group stage slate, the first two knockout round matches in Arlington are set. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 June 2026

As with many double albums (ahem, GN’R’s Use Your Illusions), Load and ReLoad have the songs between them to make up a single four-and-a-half-star album, had Metallica judiciously whittled down the track list and immersed themselves in their newfound other-ness. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2026

Rhymes for whittle down

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