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
Improvements in material and device design have whittled these energy costs over the years.
—
Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Hers is a family of working artists, the kind that have been slowly whittled out of the industry, and her background is more akin to Sophie’s than Benedict’s.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 19 Jan. 2026
Thompson estimated larger labels can sign hundreds of trainees before whittling them down to a final selection.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
The 50-member panel test drives all of the vehicles, whittling a list of dozens of qualifying vehicles down to semifinalists, before naming the finalists from which the winners are chosen.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Hers is a family of working artists, the kind that have been slowly whittled out of the industry, and her background is more akin to Sophie’s than Benedict’s.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 19 Jan. 2026
Thompson estimated larger labels can sign hundreds of trainees before whittling them down to a final selection.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
The 50-member panel test drives all of the vehicles, whittling a list of dozens of qualifying vehicles down to semifinalists, before naming the finalists from which the winners are chosen.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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More recently, the mayor spoke out against the county’s plan to cut $200 million in homeless services.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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Local reports said Ukrainian missiles hit a power plant and an electrical substation, cutting power to parts of the city.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The car clipped a guardrail and burst into flames.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
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Whistles with strings and whistles with hooks to clip onto key chains.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Berry’s pared back gray coat evoked a certain variation on quiet luxury, with its minimalist construction and versatility.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Wall Street’s fear gauge, the VIX, was up 10%, paring gains after soaring as much as 25%.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While dozens of companies have dropped diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, Costco stood behind DEI.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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The East Coast has had a cold winter—cold enough that even Niagara Falls, which at its peak sees over 3,000 tons of water drop 32 feet every second, has been affected.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The elimination of women's studies comes as other universities have curtailed or ended such programs in recent years, including The University of Iowa, Wichita State University in Kansas and the University of California, Santa Cruz.—
Elissa Nadworny,
NPR,
30 Jan. 2026
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Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said during the week that his throwing in practice would be curtailed but that his condition improved.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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