See the Dictionary Definition 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittled (down)
Verb
-
Cooper immediately passed ahead to Croix Bethune, who cut back in the box to avoid Chicago’s Kathrin Hendrich but didn’t see a second defender, Sam Staab, chasing from behind.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2026 -
Regular exercise also caused smokers to cut back by an average of two cigarettes per day.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
In fact, one of the most joyful parts of the job for Victor Wisehart, the studio’s director of community outreach, is telling parents who’ve been repeatedly turned down that Chance 2 Dance would love to welcome them.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
Evans turned down the plea offer.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Missiles were shot at our Destroyers, and were easily knocked down.—
Mosheh Gains,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
-
On offense, Bridges knocked down his spot-up jumpers and was even used as a ballhandler to facilitate offense.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
5 May 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
“Whittled (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittled%20%28down%29. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
