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
The issue became a flashpoint for the Justice Department in March, when Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer refused to add Gibson to a pilot program that had whittled a list of 95 non-violent offenders down to nine who had passed rigorous FBI background checks.
—
Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 1 May 2025
As was later revealed by the hosts, the voters had a really hard time whittling 10 semifinalists to five finalists (out of 17 contestants).
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 12 May 2025
The list of candidates gets whittled pretty far down and then a blue ribbon committee votes on a finalist to move to the full Pro Football Hall of Fame induction committee.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 May 2025
The university's Board of Trustees whittled the pool to four finalists, N.C.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 1 May 2025
As was later revealed by the hosts, the voters had a really hard time whittling 10 semifinalists to five finalists (out of 17 contestants).
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 12 May 2025
The list of candidates gets whittled pretty far down and then a blue ribbon committee votes on a finalist to move to the full Pro Football Hall of Fame induction committee.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 May 2025
The university's Board of Trustees whittled the pool to four finalists, N.C.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle
Verb
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Perry’s 10th playoff goal this season cut the Panthers lead to 4-2.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2025
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Other options include raising payroll taxes, cutting benefits for future recipients, or a combination of all three.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
Verb
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Every feather was clipped short; the bullet must have gone the length of the bird’s body cutting feathers and not once drawing blood!—
Percy Brown,
Outdoor Life,
12 June 2025
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First, trim your nails by clipping straight across to create short tips.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
11 June 2025
Verb
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The professionalization of college athletics will be seen in the high-stakes and expensive recruitment of stars on their way to the NFL and NBA, and they will be felt by athletes whose schools have decided to pare their programs.—
Eddie Pells,
Baltimore Sun,
7 June 2025
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Tangent Tesla’s shares, which dropped 14% in one of the stock’s worst-ever trading sessions, appeared to pare back some losses Friday after jumping 3% in early trading.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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And the swing-and-miss rates on all four of Ober’s go-to pitches have dropped substantially compared with 2024.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Prosecutors say Read backed into O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage after dropping him off at the home for a house party and then left him to die outside during a historic blizzard.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Markets rallied, Wall Street banks curtailed their recession forecasts, and moribund USconsumer confidence rebounded significantly.—
Samantha Waldenberg,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
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If Congress passes and Trump signs his huge tax cut bill, there may be a bump up in consumer and business spending but also rising deficits and debt, which will likely raise interest rates and curtail new investment.—
Harry Holzer,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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