skiving

verb

present participle of skive
as in whittling

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skiving
  1. whittling
  2. shaving
  3. shearing
  4. pruning
  5. cutting
  6. paring
  7. trimming
  8. cropping
Verb
  • This man is whittling a star for the tree and standing up for eldest daughters everywhere?
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
  • New York was down by as much as 16 points in Game 5 before slowly whittling the Spurs’ lead away.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026
Definition of whittling
Verb
  • Just last month the Federal Bureau of Prison’s website readjusted it, shaving a few months off.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
  • Google’s new phones will have similar shapes, with the Pro and Pro Fold models perhaps shaving off a little thickness.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 7 July 2026
Definition of shaving
Verb
  • This easy-care hedge requires shearing only once a year to maintain its shape.
    — Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026
  • Harryson says to avoid shearing the entire plant into a tight mound, cutting into the crown, removing emerging spring shoots, and pruning too early.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 16 June 2026
Definition of shearing
Verb
  • Fungal disease damage can often be eliminated by pruning plants to improving the air circulation in and around the shrub.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 July 2026
  • Joanna Glovinsky runs a local fruit tree pruning and education company called Fruitstitute.
    — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of pruning
Verb
  • The vibes at Wrigley should be stellar this weekend as the Champions Gate at Gallagher Way will be unveiled before Saturday’s game with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
  • Rather than report on every float in this parade of horribles, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed and hirsute higher education observer Bryan Alexander have started cost-cutting trackers.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of cutting
Verb
  • However, Stewart started paring down her business in recent years.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 13 July 2026
  • This Brooklyn town house layers English textiles and plays with color drenching to maximize its tighter spaces but maintains its tidiness by paring back on decor.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 7 July 2026
Definition of paring
Verb
  • Rather than just trimming stems and plopping them in a vase, reflexing plays with the form of the flower by gently folding petals backwards to open up the bloom.
    — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
  • Even the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are still sitting on a huge haul of future draft capital, had to start trimming their supporting cast this offseason because Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams’ max extensions kicked in.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • Like GoDaddy, the image-editing functionality is basic but useful for small tasks like cropping and adjusting contrast.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 7 July 2026
  • Although some breeders recommend tail docking and ear cropping for medical reasons, these claims have not been substantiated; the procedures are purely aesthetic.
    — Jane Sykes, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of cropping
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.

Browse Nearby Words

skives
skiving
skivvies
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Cite this Entry

“Skiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skiving. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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