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
After weighing 22 criteria ranging from impacts upon water pollution, noise and air quality to opportunities for economic growth, MnDOT has whittled 10 potential project approaches down to three options.
—
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
They were encouraged to ad-lib in character as Guest collected more than 60 hours of footage before taking a year to whittle it down to 84 minutes.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Writers nominated restaurants from across the country, and a team of editors with discriminating taste whittled them down to 39.
—Liz Johnson, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
After that, the competition is whittled from 10 teams to the top five, with those five also performing their free dance later in the day.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
They were encouraged to ad-lib in character as Guest collected more than 60 hours of footage before taking a year to whittle it down to 84 minutes.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Writers nominated restaurants from across the country, and a team of editors with discriminating taste whittled them down to 39.
—Liz Johnson, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
After that, the competition is whittled from 10 teams to the top five, with those five also performing their free dance later in the day.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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Sam Bennett scored with 35 seconds left to cut the deficit back to one but Florida could get no closer.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
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That deal, which required Iran to limit its nuclear program by, among other things, cutting enrichment levels and reducing centrifuges, took effect in 2016 and was due to expire 10 years after it was adopted.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From Jewel’s point of view, this merely is a digital updating of the coupons people still can clip in this and other newspapers.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
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Dali didn’t let her stowaway conviction last year or her federal probation clip her wings.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard Peter Sarsgaard pared back his black and white suit, while his wife, filmmaker and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, wore a look from McQueen’s pre-fall 2015 collection.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Evening functions called for something smaller and more contained, often pared down to a small clutch or simple wallet.—
Julia Rabinowitsch,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For the past several seasons, Probst has hosted a companion podcast, On Fire With Jeff Probst, which ordinarily drops weekly episodes that recap each episode of the CBS reality competition show.—
Staff Author,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Feb. 2026
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Last weekend, Coastal Carolina beat VCU twice while dropping a decision to Illinois.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His prized tariffs have been sharply curtailed by the Supreme Court.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
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Travel at some of the region’s largest airports was sharply curtailed with more than 5,000 flights — arriving and departing — were canceled Monday from Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport in Arlington, VA, north to Boston’s Logan International Airport.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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