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
Trump has since confirmed that the number of candidates has been whittled down to three or four.
—
Callum Sutherland, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has whittled down a field of 86 eligible films for this year’s Best International Feature Film Oscar to a shortlist of 15 — see the list below.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2025
The 18 players that began Survivor 49 have now — through a combination of blindsides, bad tribe swap luck, and snake bites — been whittled down to a mere five.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
There are plenty of creative accessories that’ll supplement their reading routine and give them space to whittle down that never-ending TBR list.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Callum Sutherland, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has whittled down a field of 86 eligible films for this year’s Best International Feature Film Oscar to a shortlist of 15 — see the list below.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2025
The 18 players that began Survivor 49 have now — through a combination of blindsides, bad tribe swap luck, and snake bites — been whittled down to a mere five.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
There are plenty of creative accessories that’ll supplement their reading routine and give them space to whittle down that never-ending TBR list.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 Dec. 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 7 Jan. 2026.
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