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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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 Voters set up races for four Orange County commission seats in November by whittling casts of candidates to two in districts 2, 6, 7 and 8. — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026 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 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

In a pouch-cell demonstration, the battery continued powering an LED even after being folded and cut.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
At least 15 of the 53 donors who gave money this month had no history of state-level political contributions, and many more hadn’t cut checks in at least a decade.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

The woolly fur on his backside is tightly clipped; at his head, the fur is combed into a topknot secured with a little pink bow.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Studio secretaries clipped their columns before the morning dailies reached the lot, marking any mention of the studio’s stars with red pencil.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of clip

Verb

As conventional grocery stores such as Ralphs and Albertsons pare back locations, Vallarta and other specialty markets are filling the gap, sometimes moving into communities that had lost their go-to supermarkets.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
All of the nails were glossy and pared back, reminding us of the minimalist glass nail trend.

— Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of pare

Verb

As temperatures start to drop, nightly firepits are the place to gather, stargaze, and make s’mores.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026
The settlement agreement lowered Scheels’ assessed value to over $65 million and likely dropped its tax burden by over $40,000.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of drop

Verb

Kyiv has pounded Russian refineries this year in an effort to cut the revenue the Kremlin collects from energy exports and curtail Moscow's ability to wage war.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
The ruling only addressed criminal liability and did not curtail Congress’ constitutional authority to investigate presidential conduct, control federal spending, enact statutory restrictions and, in serious cases, pursue impeachment.

— Stephanie A, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of curtail

Browse Nearby Words

whits

whittle

whittled

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“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of whittle

verb

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