whittle away

phrasal 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

Greene’s resignation will whittle away the Republican caucus’s already extremely narrow majority in the House. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 22 Nov. 2025

The preview culminates in a big boss fight wherein Samus must whittle away at the plant-like foe’s armor then guide her psychic shots into its weak points. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025

Under pressure from the European Union, Luxembourg’s secrecy is now being whittled away with the publication of corporate records revealing once-private information on companies domiciled in the country. —Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

Jones has been the league's best backup while going 3-0 to lead perhaps the most unlikely 4-1 team in the NFL — the team’s best five-game start since 2021 — given the attrition that has whittled away the depth across San Francisco’s roster. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for whittle away

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