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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His point cuts to the core of what makes this different from anything a Cold War-era analyst would recognize.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
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In the great marketing team at Warner Brothers, there’s a fantastic person there called Susie Shen who cuts the trailers.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Joe Rodon clips a pass over the top of the Brentford defence for Calvert-Lewin to contest.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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The holder clips right to your pack or waders and keeps everything in a neat, easy-to-dispense stack.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This reduces the need for expensive peak electricity purchases and lowers stress on the grid while maintaining stable factory operations.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
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Reducing preventable complications spares patients unnecessary suffering and lowers costs for families, employers, and insurers alike.—
Mathias P. Bostrom,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Designed by Sam Burch Architects, the house takes a familiar Mediterranean look and pares it back, using the natural setting to do alot of the heavy lifting.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
6 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Erdős also noticed that the score drops if all of a set’s numbers are large—the larger the numbers, the lower the score.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
24 Apr. 2026
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Garcia runs away screaming toward a third officer and drops the stick before he’s pushed down into a bed of bushes growing along the street curb.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement The court's decision not only curtails a policy Trump has repeatedly credited with strengthening American leverage abroad, but also carries major financial and legal consequences.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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Think of this as the pessimistic, narrower option, where the greenhouse effect curtails the zone's inner edge and the loss of carbon dioxide from a planetary atmosphere marks its outer edge.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hot and humid weather generally decreases air density, helping the ball carry, while cold weather increases density and shortens flight.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
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They were also pruned sparingly, if at all, since pruning shortens the life of a birch.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Animal advocates have long pushed the city to legalize TNR, saying the practice reduces unwarranted litters, euthanasia and shelter intake while improving the health of feral cats.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
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There’s also a sliding divider that provides a privacy barrier from the aisle and, according to the manufacturer, reduces noise from the galley and bathroom.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittles. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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