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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling
Verb
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The back-to-back debates offered plenty of cutting moments as Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Nithya Raman and reality television star Spencer Pratt faced off against each other.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
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Porter focused on cutting bureaucracy, calling for a single statewide development permit to streamline approvals and reduce delays.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Since then, and especially over the past year, clipping has gone professional.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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Thin Extra Seedlings After the seeds sprout and are a few inches tall with true leaves, thin out the weakest plants by clipping them off at the soil line with scissors.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Even one drink of alcohol damages the immune system, lowering its ability to battle invaders within 20 minutes of consumption.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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In the climate arena, nature-aware policy means lowering emissions by all means possible, including industrial decarbonization, and protecting ecosystems such as forests, mangroves, and kelp beds that absorb carbon in large quantities.—
John Reid,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittling. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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