whittle away
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
In front of a raucous home crowd, Golden State built a lead as large as 18 in the first half, only to see the Mercury whittle away at that advantage throughout the final two quarters.
—
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
As court rulings across the country whittled away the NCAA’s power and rulebook, gambling was a red line that seemed uncrossable.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 8 June 2026
The utopia was temporary, its beauty and its small victories whittled away by the scythe of inaction.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Lifting them up puts more money back into the economy, but both draft budgets whittle away at programs to help them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
As court rulings across the country whittled away the NCAA’s power and rulebook, gambling was a red line that seemed uncrossable.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 8 June 2026
The utopia was temporary, its beauty and its small victories whittled away by the scythe of inaction.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Lifting them up puts more money back into the economy, but both draft budgets whittle away at programs to help them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
Cite this Entry
“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
