whittle down
phrasal verb
whittled down; whittling down; whittles down
: to gradually make (something) smaller by removing parts
We whittled the list down to four people.
Examples of whittle down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the final version is narrower than Wiener’s original 2018 proposal, having been whittled down to meet the demands of suburban lawmakers and affordability activists who have blocked previous versions of the bill.
—
Kate Talerico, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
When Keery whittled down the tracklist for the original album, there were more than two dozen contenders in the mix, thanks in large part to a concerted focus on seeing ideas through during the recording process.
—Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
Indeed, after shedding retail and sport-lifestyle holdings, Kering was whittled down to a luxury pure player with revenues just north of 3 billion euros.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
One of the new mechanical ideas for this game gives the dinos two targets for players for whittle down.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Kate Talerico, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
When Keery whittled down the tracklist for the original album, there were more than two dozen contenders in the mix, thanks in large part to a concerted focus on seeing ideas through during the recording process.
—Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
Indeed, after shedding retail and sport-lifestyle holdings, Kering was whittled down to a luxury pure player with revenues just north of 3 billion euros.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
One of the new mechanical ideas for this game gives the dinos two targets for players for whittle down.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
Cite this Entry
“Whittle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20down. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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