as in to cut down
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle (down)
Verb
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Chief rivals McDonald’s and Burger King also reported sluggish sales earlier this year as consumers cut back spending.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025 -
Newsom is widely reviled here for cutting back on oil drilling and not prioritizing new reservoirs to store water for thirsty farms.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Be forewarned, though, that consumers with lower credit scores may get turned down.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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At this point, turn down the heat to 375°F for the final 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife or skewer inserted 2 inches from the edge of each pie comes out clean.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Whittle (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle%20%28down%29. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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