as in to cut
to cause to diminish gradually by or as if by cutting off bits with a knife
He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick.
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Recent Examples of whittle
Dayton whittled the deficit to 10 early in the second half, but Belle buried a 3-pointer and Hill hit a pull-up jumper for a 48-33 lead with 15 minutes remaining.
—
ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The Tigers whittled one of those UK leads down to five points with just over 10 minutes left.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
After trailing 75-50 in the third quarter, the Spurs whittled the margin to 11 points by the end of the period and opened the fourth with an 18-5 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes.
—Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On fourth-and-3 from the Washington 8 in the third quarter, rather than take a field goal that would’ve whittled Washington’s lead to 29-21.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle
ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The Tigers whittled one of those UK leads down to five points with just over 10 minutes left.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
After trailing 75-50 in the third quarter, the Spurs whittled the margin to 11 points by the end of the period and opened the fourth with an 18-5 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes.
—Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On fourth-and-3 from the Washington 8 in the third quarter, rather than take a field goal that would’ve whittled Washington’s lead to 29-21.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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The newscast cut the bodycam footage after his entry to protect her identity, but Vogel proudly said there was no cause for concern.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
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In April 2009, a unanimous council — including first-year member Todd Gloria — embraced Sanders’ plan to impose a 6% cut in pay and benefits for city workers, cutting the shortfall in half.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Both the House and Senate want to clip DeSantis’ wings.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Thanks to the rise of algorithmic feeds, clipping has morphed into the creator economy’s version of wheatpasting.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Commissioners asked the developer to pare down the size of the building to bring the cost closer to $200 million.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
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Even in the oil market, where prices jumped above $100 per barrel after ceasefire talks over the weekend failed to end the war, prices pared their leaps as Monday progressed.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One count directed at Baldwin, alleging assault, was dropped.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2026
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But Tampa Bay dropped Games 1 and 2 at home, putting it in a 2-0 hole, and was eliminated with a Game 5 loss in Tampa.—
Eduardo A. Encina,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Since the start of the war, Iran has curtailed maritime traffic, with most commercial vessels avoiding the waterway.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Instead of curtailing the spending spree, the City Council put a sales tax hike on the November 2024 ballot.—
Mark Powell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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