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 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 Longman, production exec Suzy Aplin and their team sifted through 1,800 audition tapes before whittling things down. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling

Verb

When cutting them back in the fall for the winter, leave a few branches for wildlife to use for protection, but be sure to remove all of the dead branches to reduce the risk of diseases.

— Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026
Broadcasters of all sizes, especially local station owners, have been battling cord-cutting and coping with ongoing audience and advertiser shifts away from linear viewing.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

Algorithmic video feeds have accelerated this transition, as more and more podcast companies see clipping for TikTok and the like as the primary discovery method for podcasts — and, in some cases, whole brands.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Aug. 2026
His platform pays armies of short-form video clippers to flood feeds for brands, the model behind the clipping farms driving fintech marketing and crypto gambling's viral machine.

— Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of clipping

Verb

Despite Villa reaching their zenith under Emery in May, there was a growing argument to undergo a stable transitional phase, providing youthful impetus and appearing proactive, rather than reactive, in lowering the age of the squad.

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Move the person to a cooler place, try lowering their temperature with cooler clothes or a cool bath, and don't give the person additional liquid to drink.

— Michael Autovino, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026