as in to cut down
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle (down)
Verb
-
When the mood is gloomy, people tend to cut back on travel, dining out and big purchases.—
Staff reports,
USA Today,
7 June 2026 -
Rolling the dice As insurance costs climb, many homeowners are postponing major life decisions and cutting back elsewhere.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
In February, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 124 in Kansas City, together with the National Electrical Contractors Association, expressed shock when residents of the lofts turned down the union’s offer to fix the sign for free, with one stipulation.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
-
In the 17 years since, she’s turned down a deal from one of modern hip-hop’s waymakers and landed 14 tracks on the Hot 100.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Whittle (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle%20%28down%29. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
