WHITTLING Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

whittling

verb

Definition of whittling

present participle of whittle

as in cutting

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

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.

Recent Examples of whittling Voters set up races for four Orange County commission seats in November by whittling casts of candidates to two in districts 2, 6, 7 and 8. — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026 This man is whittling a star for the tree and standing up for eldest daughters everywhere? — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026 New York was down by as much as 16 points in Game 5 before slowly whittling the Spurs’ lead away. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026 The authors disagreed with that earlier assessment, concluding that the bone marks were more consistent with whittling using a sharp implement. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 June 2026 Leaders have reinforced that narrative by whittling their workforces in the name of AI. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 1 June 2026 In a normal year, casting director Jesse Tannenbaum and his team sift through 25,000 applications, per Backstage, whittling them down to just 18 players per season. — Charlotte Walsh, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026 Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest have all made their excuses and left the fight for Premier League survival, whittling it down to just two potential candidates to join Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship next season. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 12 May 2026 The Vegas Golden Knights, the team directly ahead of the Kings in the Pacific Division standings, have lost six of their last 10, whittling their lead to four points over the Kings in the battle for the division’s third and final postseason berth. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling

Verb

By cutting the number of working holiday visas, critics say, the government risks causing more economic pain.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
The state’s top law enforcement officer will not shed any light on why subpoenas were recently served on a slew of Broward County officials regarding the county’s efforts to explore cutting ties with the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

— Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

Brands, including sports leagues, understand that content clipping is both a marketing strategy and a way to engage with new and established audiences.

— Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Murphy is engaging enough to keep things clipping right along (and Emma is a heroine very easy to root for), but things are at their very best when Emma and Luke are giving into their big feelings.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026