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
To play an emaciated insomniac in The Machinist, Bale underwent one of the most drastic transformations in Hollywood history, whittling his weight down to just 121 lbs.
—
Mike Miller, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Judges will whittle these down to the 100 images that will feature in the museum’s exhibition before announcing the category winners as well as the Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards on October 14.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
Lastly, ahead of the 3 p.m. deadline, the Cowboys made 32 cuts to whittle the roster to the required 53 players.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
Extracting plant dyes, whittling a spoon, making felt—these projects are inefficient and, Ginn argues, extremely satisfying.
—Sophia Stewart, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Mike Miller, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Judges will whittle these down to the 100 images that will feature in the museum’s exhibition before announcing the category winners as well as the Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards on October 14.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
Lastly, ahead of the 3 p.m. deadline, the Cowboys made 32 cuts to whittle the roster to the required 53 players.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
Extracting plant dyes, whittling a spoon, making felt—these projects are inefficient and, Ginn argues, extremely satisfying.
—Sophia Stewart, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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Vance said one portion of Democrats are making unreasonable demands to restore more than $1 trillion over the next decade in healthcare spending that was cut earlier this year.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Training, professional development, and the Safe Cities Partnership are among the areas cut.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Afloia 6-in-1 Dog Grooming Kit is like a pet spa at home, turning you into their personal groomer for trimming hair, clipping nails, and more.—
Christine Persaud,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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An eyewitness tells 12 News that the drones clipped the crane's cable and plummeted to the ground.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Similar to other restaurant chains like Chili’s, Red Lobster is working to pare down its menu, eliminating items that don’t perform as well to increase restaurant efficiencies.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Despite the bold tones and sculptural silhouettes on display, the beauty direction stayed pared-back and refined, focused on skincare, highlighting Prada Beauty’s skincare line.—
Kristine Kwak,
StyleCaster,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The best way to protect yourself during an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on, officials say.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Riddle claimed their relationship was consensual, and the lawsuit was eventually dropped.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The unitary executive theory suggests that such limits wrongly curtail the powers of the chief executive.—
Graham G. Dodds,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
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Many activists and journalists were imprisoned, press freedoms curtailed, organizations disbanded, and the Umbrella Movement was thoroughly crushed.—
Peter Leyden,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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