as in cuts
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 whittles
Typically, Cameron whittles his selections for each part down to five or six actors based on recommendations and audition tapes, and not only meets with them but tries to create some of the circumstances that will be replicated on set.
—
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 22 Dec. 2025
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 22 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittles
Verb
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In September, cuts to subsea cables in the Red Sea caused disruptions to Microsoft's Azure cloud service.—
Magdalena Petrova,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
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Together with fellow oligarch Gennadiy Bogolyubov, who cuts a comparatively lower profile, Kolomoisky amassed a sizable portfolio.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The carry handles each have a magnetic piece that then clips together to form a single bar to grasp.—
Adam Campbell-Schmitt,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
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For messing up, Martha clips Gabriel’s wings, forcing him to live life as a human, with a new casual wardrobe to match and a taste for fast food.—
Michael Rechtshaffen,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Obviously, police not shooting lowers the risk of harm to the suspect.—
Ben Jones,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
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That lowers his ultimate value a bit.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Marvel Avengers Expansion Impressions The biggest strength of the Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game expansions continues to be succinct writing that pares down decades of comic book history into a short but informative chapter.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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This is a sweet, redemptive film that pares back some of the more extreme dramatic elements of Perry’s earlier work to tell a straightforward, second-chance-at-love story.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When the temperature drops below 32 degrees and a glowing snowflake on the dashboard warns of icy roads, my car practically drives itself to Lighthouse Tofu in Annandale.—
Elazar Sontag,
Washington Post,
10 Jan. 2026
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Just bring them indoors when the temperature drops to keep them safe from extended freezes, and put them back on the patio after the last frost.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Such a reading of the law at the center of the case could provide Trump an opening -- along with other tariffs that have not been challenged in court -- to continue his global-trotting mission to reshape trade imbalances, even if the high court curtails his broad tariff power.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Where To Stay in Martin County With a strict ban on buildings over four stories, the Treasure Coast curtails the kind of over development that can choke out some Florida beach towns.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Taking zinc on the first day symptoms appear shortens the duration of respiratory viruses, such as the common cold and COVID-19.—
Megan Nunn,
Verywell Health,
7 Jan. 2026
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Unfiltered water, Adams insists, leads to sediment buildup in your water heater, which shortens its lifespan and lessens its heating efficiency.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This enables continuous charging and reduces the need for large onboard batteries.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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As a stocky playmaker who rarely sprints and often reduces the game to walking pace in an increasingly breakneck sport populated by iron men, Cherki’s timing of arrival into English football is where the dichotomy lies.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittles. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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