as in cutting
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
pared the stray branches on the tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paring
Stephanie Ganz, Southern Living, 7 July 2025
Using a sharp paring knife, start at the head end, and slice lengthwise along the back about three-fourths of the way through (do not cut all the way through), following the natural groove.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 4 July 2025
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
The feat was accomplished through various TV rights, corporate sponsorship and a reliance on existing venues, paring infrastructure costs.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paring
Noun
Use a sharp paring knife to cut 4 slits in the top crust for steam to escape.
—Stephanie Ganz, Southern Living, 7 July 2025
Using a sharp paring knife, start at the head end, and slice lengthwise along the back about three-fourths of the way through (do not cut all the way through), following the natural groove.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 4 July 2025
Verb
In response, companies are paring back.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
The feat was accomplished through various TV rights, corporate sponsorship and a reliance on existing venues, paring infrastructure costs.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paring
Noun
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Service members stationed in the Pacific recently received notice that enlistees with shaving waivers will not be allowed to attend Hegseth’s upcoming Camp Humphreys rally, according to military site Task & Purpose.—
Brian Niemietz,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
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Even as the weather gets chillier and bare-skin season winds down, hair removal—via shaving, trimming, or lasering—remains a year-round habit for many of us.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Walz drew a surge of media attention and prompted popular X posts on the campaign trail for cutting a rootsy profile like her father.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
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In cutting those moments, Baxter used the score to track the temperature of his edit, especially as the second chapter begins.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And then there is the guilty past alluded to in those clippings, the memory of which frequently strikes her down with debilitating pain and nausea.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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Officers who went to Sellers’s house found a collection of newspaper clippings from the time frame in which Lee was found dead.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bibb took to her Instagram story before the annual event, sharing a behind-the-scenes video of Chris McMillan trimming her ends.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
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Once the tree is installed, state Department of General Services crews will go to work trimming the tree over the next several days.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
After cutting and trimming any splinters, place the stakes behind the trellis.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The revelation felt like a splinter that lodged itself in Kai’s heart.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In remembrance, Collins carved a sliver of the Jackson pediment into tiny rose petals and scattered them around the remnant.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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When a survey showed the city’s measurements of the land were slightly off, the family refused to surrender the remaining two-foot sliver.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paring. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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