whittle

verb

Definition of whittlenext
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 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 The market is trying to recover, but elite collectors seemingly want only trophy works; raging global conflicts, economic uncertainty, and political turmoil have whittled demand down to the safest names. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026 Next, your votes whittled the field of contenders to the Top 10 picks, then down to the Top 5 and Top 2. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
  1. cut
  2. clip
  3. pare
  4. drop
  5. curtail
Verb
  • For decades, the European Union has led the world in implementing policies designed to cut emissions, creating the world’s most important price on carbon and crafting the rules of the road for a wide range of regulatory efforts.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Staff cut raw chicken and then proceeded to cut lamb without washing, rinsing and sanitizing cutting boards and prep tables.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • The sequence stylistically excises itself from the episode as though clipping it, anticipating its excision from the show when uploaded to a video-sharing platform.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • These hairs, including a lock clipped at his deathbed, were in a packet provided by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, and had not previously been available for analysis.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of clip
Verb
  • Starbucks may be closing 36 locations in Southern California as the chain looks to pare down its store count and shut underperforming coffee houses.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • There was no shortage of high-octane sensuality, albeit pared down using nudes, champagne and pastels, including baby pink.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of pare
Verb
  • By the time the next spring rolled around, support for all-year DST dropped from 79 percent to 42 percent.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Macklemore later claimed that he was dropped from the trek after Kraft mounted a pressure campaign against Sheeran to nix the rapper.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of drop
Verb
  • And that any calls or non-calls didn't curtail championship dreams.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Inspired by Soviet dissidents who secretly circulated writing, the sessions encourage participants to reclaim private expression in an era of political turmoil, data mining and government pressure that curtails public expression.
    — Miranda Huang, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of curtail

Browse Nearby Words

whits
whittle
whittled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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