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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whittle
The list of candidates gets whittled pretty far down and then a blue ribbon committee votes on a finalist to move to the full Pro Football Hall of Fame induction committee.
—
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 May 2025
The university's Board of Trustees whittled the pool to four finalists, N.C.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
Roster moves: The Rockies continued whittling their big-league roster.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2025
The Bulls trailed by 21 midway through the third quarter and whittled it down to 8 points on Nikola Vučević’s putback with 4:45 to play, and pulled to within four on Coby White’s three-pointer with 27 seconds left.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 May 2025
The university's Board of Trustees whittled the pool to four finalists, N.C.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
Roster moves: The Rockies continued whittling their big-league roster.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2025
The Bulls trailed by 21 midway through the third quarter and whittled it down to 8 points on Nikola Vučević’s putback with 4:45 to play, and pulled to within four on Coby White’s three-pointer with 27 seconds left.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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Republican bill cuts Medicaid for unemployed, undocumented children, Planned Parenthood How much do Americans rely on programs like Medicaid and Social Security?—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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During that same period, the company cut 3,000 jobs.—
Lindsay Owens,
Time,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Dorothy had her hair done, The Tinman got oiled up, The Scarecrow got brand new straws, and The Cowardly Lion had his mane curled and his claws clipped.—
Debbi Kickham,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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Our top picks Runner-Up: SoulCycle At-Home Bike, $2,500 Shop the best exercise bikes Ready to clip in?—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
28 May 2025
Verb
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His videos, paring down the frog, or fleshy, central toe on the underside of a hoof, or painting on polish, regularly get hundreds of millions of views.—
Sarah Maslin Nir,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Tesla shares had briefly risen 3.3% on the comments but later pared gains to trade up about 1%.—
Andrew Mills,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
Verb
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With Philips dropping down, Pannek perfectly placed the puck in the pocket above Philips’ right shoulder.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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This Sansui monitor is like the underdog that shows up and immediately drops 240Hz on the table.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Ironically, Trump has simultaneously curtailed, and even effectively eliminated, any realistic path of asylum for refugees from Mexico, Central and South America.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 May 2025
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In 1917, Woodrow Wilson used the act to curtail the activities and speech of German citizens, leading to the internment of more than 6000 Germans, though they were provided with a hearing.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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