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
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Recent Examples of whittle
After whittling a 24-point, second-half deficit down to a single point with 4.1 seconds left to play, Ven-Allen Lubin stepped to the free-throw line for two shots that could’ve changed the trajectory of UNC’s season.
—
Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
But President-elect Donald Trump's selection of a number of House Republicans to fill top posts in his administration is pulling from an already shallow bench, temporarily whittling the GOP majority down further as Trump takes office in January.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 2 Dec. 2024
An 8-2 run punctuated by a floater from Matthew Webber in the lane has whittled the Colorado Academy lead down to 35-30 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2025
Agencies can whittle personnel through layoffs, attrition, removal of underperforming employees, or renegotiation of collective bargaining agreements.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
But President-elect Donald Trump's selection of a number of House Republicans to fill top posts in his administration is pulling from an already shallow bench, temporarily whittling the GOP majority down further as Trump takes office in January.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 2 Dec. 2024
An 8-2 run punctuated by a floater from Matthew Webber in the lane has whittled the Colorado Academy lead down to 35-30 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2025
Agencies can whittle personnel through layoffs, attrition, removal of underperforming employees, or renegotiation of collective bargaining agreements.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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The station also cut from its marketing department and others, resulting in a total 15% cut across the nonprofit.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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The country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry cut its gross domestic product forecast to 0%-2% for 2025, down from its previous outlook of 1%-3%.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Washington — Several members of Congress were on a plane that was sitting on the tarmac waiting to leave Washington on Thursday when it was clipped by another aircraft.—
Kathryn Krupnik,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2025
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Two American Airlines planes clipped wings at Reagan National Airport, the FAA said.—
7News WJLA (Washington),
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Four years ago, Joseph R. Biden Jr. collected $62 million (nearly $76 million in 2025 dollars) for his inauguration, though that celebration was pared down because of the coronavirus pandemic.—
Theodore Schleifer,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, the euro was choppy on Monday, paring gains against the greenback to fall 0.3% in the afternoon.—
Jenni Reid,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In Chicago last weekend, the Red Sox dropped two of three.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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From Mexico, arrivals to the U.S. by air dropped nearly 17% in March, compared with March last year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Recently organized boycotts against corporations that have substantially curtailed their DEI efforts, like Target, have been effective and provide environmentalists with a powerful blueprint to follow.—
Jerel Ezell,
Time,
22 Apr. 2025
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But critics have questioned why the church, historically a defender of human rights and Christian values, would willingly join forces with the Chinese government, which under leader Xi Jinping has further curtailed religious freedom.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.
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