as in 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 whittled
Dayton whittled the deficit to 10 early in the second half, but Belle buried a 3-pointer and Hill hit a pull-up jumper for a 48-33 lead with 15 minutes remaining.
—
ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The Tigers whittled one of those UK leads down to five points with just over 10 minutes left.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
After trailing 75-50 in the third quarter, the Spurs whittled the margin to 11 points by the end of the period and opened the fourth with an 18-5 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes.
—Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On fourth-and-3 from the Washington 8 in the third quarter, rather than take a field goal that would’ve whittled Washington’s lead to 29-21.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Cocurators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer drew up a list of well over 400 creatives, made studio visits to upwards of 300, and whittled the tally down to 56 individuals, duos, and collectives.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2026
Earlier this month, the department whittled the list down to 30 finalists.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Further investigation with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) whittled these galaxies down to 70 faint dusty galaxy candidates on the very edge of the cosmos, the majority of which had never been seen before.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2026
After weighing 22 criteria ranging from impacts upon water pollution, noise and air quality to opportunities for economic growth, MnDOT has whittled 10 potential project approaches down to three options.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The Tigers whittled one of those UK leads down to five points with just over 10 minutes left.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
After trailing 75-50 in the third quarter, the Spurs whittled the margin to 11 points by the end of the period and opened the fourth with an 18-5 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes.
—Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On fourth-and-3 from the Washington 8 in the third quarter, rather than take a field goal that would’ve whittled Washington’s lead to 29-21.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Cocurators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer drew up a list of well over 400 creatives, made studio visits to upwards of 300, and whittled the tally down to 56 individuals, duos, and collectives.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2026
Earlier this month, the department whittled the list down to 30 finalists.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Further investigation with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) whittled these galaxies down to 70 faint dusty galaxy candidates on the very edge of the cosmos, the majority of which had never been seen before.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2026
After weighing 22 criteria ranging from impacts upon water pollution, noise and air quality to opportunities for economic growth, MnDOT has whittled 10 potential project approaches down to three options.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittled
Verb
-
Even as Michigan State came roaring back in the second half, cutting the lead to just two in the final minute, UCLA never flinched.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Orangefield cut the lead to 8 points a couple of times late in the game, but Cobb made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 46 seconds to keep the Bobcats at bay.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This year’s ceremony also clipped the winning speeches pretty short, but at least some of that time went to a truly poignant in memoriam.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
-
They were clipped onto a pair of sheer black mesh thigh-high tights, adding some subtle coverage to the mini look.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lunch at sea is both ceremony and routine; boats cluster, music blares, and caffè amaro in mare—bitter coffee at sea—is lowered to swimmers who look tiny against the backdrop of grottos and faraglioni (sea stacks).—
Kristina Kasparian,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
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Those who planned the peaceful protest also did so to circulate a petition that asks for Kennywood Boulevard to be renamed in Byars' honor, for the speed limit to be lowered, and for a bench to be placed at the nearby bus stop for riders.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Saturday’s defeat also dropped the Heat from sixth to seventh place in the East, falling percentage points behind the sixth-place Toronto Raptors (37-29).—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Medvedev had dropped his last four meetings against Alcaraz, including a loss in the Indian Wells final in 2024.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lucy Nicholson | Reuters Oil prices pared gains on Thursday after Brent crude briefly touched $100 a barrel, as attacks were reported on three more cargo ships in the Persian Gulf and traders reacted to the IEA's move to release government stockpiles.—
Sam Meredith,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Brent crude, which had soared to almost $120 a barrel at the start of the week, has since pared gains to around $90.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittled. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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