whittle

1 of 2

noun

whit·​tle ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl 

archaic

: a large knife

whittle

2 of 2

verb

whittled; whittling

ˈ(h)wit-liŋ,

ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife

b

: to shape or form by so paring or cutting

2

: to reduce, remove, or destroy gradually as if by cutting off bits with a knife : pare

whittle down expenses

intransitive verb

1

: to cut or shape something (such as wood) by or as if by paring it with a knife

2

: to wear oneself or another out with fretting

whittler

ˈ(h)wit-lər

ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl-ər 

noun

Examples of whittle in a Sentence

Verb

He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick.

She whittled a walking stick from a maple tree branch.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Trump's lawyers and prosecutors will seek to whittle the group of potential jurors down to just 12, plus a few alternates, in a process that could take several days. —Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024

Unfortunately, that bipartisan consensus broke down sometime in the last 10 years or so, and the courts have whittled it away. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English whittel, alteration of thwitel, from thwiten to whittle, from Old English thwītan; akin to Old Norse thveita to hew

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing whittle

• whittle away
• whittle down

Kids Definition

whittle

verb

whit·​tle

ˈhwit-ᵊl,

ˈwit-

whittled; whittling

-liŋ,

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

a

: to shave or cut off chips from the surface of wood with a knife

b

: to shape or form by so shaving or cutting

2

: to reduce gradually : pare

whittle down expenses

whittler

-lər

-ᵊl-ər

noun