WHITTLE Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

whittle

verb

Definition of whittle

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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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of whittle Those closures whittled the company's footprint down to about 70 locations in Arizona and Nevada, which will be permanently shuttered on Wednesday. — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026 As the drugs whittle waistlines, their impact is rippling beyond the bathroom scale and into a surprisingly wide swath of American life. — Elyse Moody, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026 This man is whittling a star for the tree and standing up for eldest daughters everywhere? — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026 The Los Angeles mayor is a nonpartisan position, meaning the June 2 primary was not separated by party and simply whittled the pool down to the top two candidates. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for whittle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle

Verb

Sullivan denied that the law would cut Medicaid for Alaskans, saying the Affordable Care Act had a greater impact and raised insurance premiums in the state drastically.

— Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
The new version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been cut from a five-hour show performed across two parts to a single three-hour performance as it is performed on Broadway.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

Acts who might typically tour with multiple semi-trucks have to pare it down to come play the off-the-grid, experimental fest.

— Katie Bain, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2026
Elsewhere, typically experimental designer Duran Lantink pared back his characteristically whackadoodle approach to design for a smarter compromise this season.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of pare

Verb

Fallon followed up by asking if McRae had dropped easter eggs hinting at the song’s release.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
The remains of a man who was shot in the head and stuffed into a rusted barrel found on the shore of Lake Mead after the water level dropped were identified Thursday as an Arkansas man whose decades-old killing remains unsolved.

— CBS News, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of drop

Verb

But its removal raised fuel prices sharply, pressure that was exacerbated by the Iran war curtailing energy supplies.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Maybe his conning can be curtailed someday, but the thought there’d ever be enough distracting chaos for a similarly lengthy follow-up is almost too much to bear.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of curtail

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whits

whittle

whittled

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“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of whittle

verb

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