as in to cut
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 whittle
Though his average has slumped to .219 this season, and he’s hit only four homers in 41 games, Doyle has whittled his strikeout percentage to 23.5.
—
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 May 2025
This left Roosevelt struggling to whittle the distance between the two sides, reducing the Japanese demands for money and the Russian designs on all of Sakhalin.
—Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
There was a lot of tut-tutting from some corners as G-III used to sell the brand in 450 Macy’s doors — but then again, even Macy’s doesn’t want to be in 450 of its doors and is whittling the chain down to its best locations.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 12 June 2025
The lawsuit had focused on almost 150 jets and some engines, previously with a total value of up to $4.7 billion, though settlements – including on the first day of the trial in October – have whittled the numbers down.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 May 2025
This left Roosevelt struggling to whittle the distance between the two sides, reducing the Japanese demands for money and the Russian designs on all of Sakhalin.
—Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
There was a lot of tut-tutting from some corners as G-III used to sell the brand in 450 Macy’s doors — but then again, even Macy’s doesn’t want to be in 450 of its doors and is whittling the chain down to its best locations.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 12 June 2025
The lawsuit had focused on almost 150 jets and some engines, previously with a total value of up to $4.7 billion, though settlements – including on the first day of the trial in October – have whittled the numbers down.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Jeannie C. Riley, Connie Smith and the duo of Charlie Louvin and Melba Montgomery were among the acts who cut her songs.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
22 July 2025
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The National Endowment for the Humanities cut the grant this spring.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
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But clipping in a hair topper or something like a fake ponytail can provide immediate gratification.—
Jessica Hartshorn,
Flow Space,
18 July 2025
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Some young families attended with their children as well as young professionals dressed in business casual with IDs clipped to their waist.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
17 July 2025
Verb
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Nvidia then pared its gains but finished the day up by 1.8%, putting the company’s market value at just below $4 trillion.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
9 July 2025
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Other agents had dismissed Weinberg as a habitual liar looking to pare down his prison sentence, but Fuller saw potential.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Most recently, the team dropped a 4-0 result to York United following a pair of draws.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
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His top individual donor was Ron Weiser, who founded real estate company McKinley and formerly chaired the Michigan Republican Party, dropped $8,325, the individual maximum.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
26 July 2025
Verb
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In the challenge to a federal subsidy program for phone and internet service, for example, the court passed up a chance to further curtail the power of federal agencies.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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To curtail Hamas’ ability to purchase weapons and pay its fighters, Israel stopped allowing cash to enter Gaza at the start of the war.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Fortune,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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