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

Since all of these structures can make a neck look full or bulky, even after the platysma has been tightened, many surgeons like to whittle them down in what’s known as a deep structural neck lift. —Jolene Edgar, Allure, 1 May 2024

That proves to be a tough task given more monks keep getting picked off and the killer looks to be whittling it down to Shardlake. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 1 May 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