Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling (down)
Verb
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Newsom is widely reviled here for cutting back on oil drilling and not prioritizing new reservoirs to store water for thirsty farms.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025 -
For Adams, who was cutting back library hours to pay for the shelters and taking political heat for giving handouts to migrants, that was not a satisfying answer.—
Molly Ball,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Inside the virtual reality world, patients can interact with other people, walk throughout the house party or bar, and even practice turning down an offer of alcohol or drugs.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Oct. 2025
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Skarsgård has returned to play Pennywise, a villain that King fans agreed the actor embodied to perfection, after initially turning down the chance to continue the character.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That's not with decoys, that's not with other means that would try to misdirect our interceptors from knocking down incoming missiles with nuclear warheads on them.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
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The contestants then had to compete in a physically taxing challenge that involved pushing a heavy cart along a bumpy path, stacking sand bags, climbing ladders, knocking discs off poles, and then finally knocking down four bamboo targets.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Whittling (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittling%20%28down%29. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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