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
The Medicaid portions of the GOP proposal would save $625 billion over a 10-year period, according to the CBO, as Republicans try to whittle away more than $880 billion in spending.
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Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 25 May 2025
To smooth your transition into vacation mode—and avoid whittling away the first few days simply decompressing—Nasir also recommends reducing your pre-break load as much as possible.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Dec. 2024
Bill Owens, executive producer of the venerable Sunday night news magazine, suggested the show’s editorial independence has been whittled away as corporate parent Paramount seeks to make peace with Trump.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
Even when the Knicks seemed to pull away, Indiana would whittle away at the lead bit by bit.
—Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
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Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 25 May 2025
To smooth your transition into vacation mode—and avoid whittling away the first few days simply decompressing—Nasir also recommends reducing your pre-break load as much as possible.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Dec. 2024
Bill Owens, executive producer of the venerable Sunday night news magazine, suggested the show’s editorial independence has been whittled away as corporate parent Paramount seeks to make peace with Trump.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
Even when the Knicks seemed to pull away, Indiana would whittle away at the lead bit by bit.
—Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 22 May 2025
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 9 Jul. 2025.
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