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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Recent Examples of whittling
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
Since then, there have been fall 1996 Gianni Versace Couture gowns at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards and a waist-whittling custom Ashi Studio creation for the 2026 Golden Globes.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent screened the qualifying candidates, whittling the list down to five and then four.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Thompson estimated larger labels can sign hundreds of trainees before whittling them down to a final selection.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
The 50-member panel test drives all of the vehicles, whittling a list of dozens of qualifying vehicles down to semifinalists, before naming the finalists from which the winners are chosen.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Born in 1970 in Herber City, Utah, Allen is largely self-taught, having begun his artistic career by whittling figures and selling them from atop an ironing board on the streets of SoHo in New York.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Nov. 2025
Still, Kansas never slowed, whittling Duke’s margin to five on three consecutive possessions midway through the second half… only for Scheyer’s squad to respond each time.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
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
Since then, there have been fall 1996 Gianni Versace Couture gowns at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards and a waist-whittling custom Ashi Studio creation for the 2026 Golden Globes.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent screened the qualifying candidates, whittling the list down to five and then four.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Thompson estimated larger labels can sign hundreds of trainees before whittling them down to a final selection.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
The 50-member panel test drives all of the vehicles, whittling a list of dozens of qualifying vehicles down to semifinalists, before naming the finalists from which the winners are chosen.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Born in 1970 in Herber City, Utah, Allen is largely self-taught, having begun his artistic career by whittling figures and selling them from atop an ironing board on the streets of SoHo in New York.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Nov. 2025
Still, Kansas never slowed, whittling Duke’s margin to five on three consecutive possessions midway through the second half… only for Scheyer’s squad to respond each time.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling
Verb
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Vesia surrendered a two-run triple to Swanson and an RBI single to Nico Hoerner, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to one.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Part of that includes 'cutting the pond' using machinery to dig through the sand and allow water to flow in and out.—
Jacob Wycoff,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Recently, Kick, the livestreaming platform, published clipping stats from the period of March 5 through April 5.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Jeep crashed into a concrete barrier after clipping the other car, destroying part of the barrier, Adams County Fire Rescue officials said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This approach eliminates the federal gas and diesel taxes, lowering gas prices and reducing the pain at the pump.—
Andrew Stasiowski,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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As part of the deal, Regeneron will cut the price of its cholesterol-lowering drug Praluent to $225, down from $537.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittling. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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