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
Even as tariffs from this year’s US trade spat have been whittled down to 20%, Chinese exporters still face what on average amounts to nearly 50% duties on their goods, with pre-existing duties factored in.
—
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
The case was eventually whittled down to Parker as the lone defendant.
—Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
The final cut is two and a half hours, whittled down from over three hours.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
But outfitting a holiday tree comes with the opportunity to whittle down your seasonal decorating style.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
The case was eventually whittled down to Parker as the lone defendant.
—Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
The final cut is two and a half hours, whittled down from over three hours.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
But outfitting a holiday tree comes with the opportunity to whittle down your seasonal decorating style.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 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 11 Nov. 2025.
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