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
City were 13 points ahead at one stage in January, but Liverpool (who had games in hand) whittled that down and nearly won it on the final day.
—
Nick Miller, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
But that list is whittled from the 2,600 nominations made by the public this year for recordings to be considered.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Though his average has slumped to .219 this season, and he’s hit only four homers in 41 games, Doyle has whittled his strikeout percentage to 23.5.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 May 2025
This left Roosevelt struggling to whittle the distance between the two sides, reducing the Japanese demands for money and the Russian designs on all of Sakhalin.
—Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Nick Miller, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
But that list is whittled from the 2,600 nominations made by the public this year for recordings to be considered.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Though his average has slumped to .219 this season, and he’s hit only four homers in 41 games, Doyle has whittled his strikeout percentage to 23.5.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 May 2025
This left Roosevelt struggling to whittle the distance between the two sides, reducing the Japanese demands for money and the Russian designs on all of Sakhalin.
—Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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On Thursday, the White House announced that Trump had just sent letters to the heads of 17 major pharmaceutical companies pushing them to cut the prices that Americans have to pay down to the levels that people in other countries pay.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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The storm cut nearby Miccosukee tribal members off from the rest of the world for two days.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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How to get sparkling rosé nails at home The same rule applies to all nude nails: Lay the foundation first by clipping your nails straight across before rounding the edges with a nail file.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
28 July 2025
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These hammocks fit over your entire back seat and easily clip to the front and passenger seats to create a hammock with extra space for your furry friend.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Nvidia then pared its gains but finished the day up by 1.8%, putting the company’s market value at just below $4 trillion.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
9 July 2025
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Other agents had dismissed Weinberg as a habitual liar looking to pare down his prison sentence, but Fuller saw potential.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Most recently, the team dropped a 4-0 result to York United following a pair of draws.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
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His top individual donor was Ron Weiser, who founded real estate company McKinley and formerly chaired the Michigan Republican Party, dropped $8,325, the individual maximum.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
26 July 2025
Verb
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In the challenge to a federal subsidy program for phone and internet service, for example, the court passed up a chance to further curtail the power of federal agencies.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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To curtail Hamas’ ability to purchase weapons and pay its fighters, Israel stopped allowing cash to enter Gaza at the start of the war.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Fortune,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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