as in 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 whittled
Dayton whittled the deficit to 10 early in the second half, but Belle buried a 3-pointer and Hill hit a pull-up jumper for a 48-33 lead with 15 minutes remaining.
—
ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The Tigers whittled one of those UK leads down to five points with just over 10 minutes left.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
After trailing 75-50 in the third quarter, the Spurs whittled the margin to 11 points by the end of the period and opened the fourth with an 18-5 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes.
—Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On fourth-and-3 from the Washington 8 in the third quarter, rather than take a field goal that would’ve whittled Washington’s lead to 29-21.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Cocurators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer drew up a list of well over 400 creatives, made studio visits to upwards of 300, and whittled the tally down to 56 individuals, duos, and collectives.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2026
Earlier this month, the department whittled the list down to 30 finalists.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Further investigation with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) whittled these galaxies down to 70 faint dusty galaxy candidates on the very edge of the cosmos, the majority of which had never been seen before.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2026
After weighing 22 criteria ranging from impacts upon water pollution, noise and air quality to opportunities for economic growth, MnDOT has whittled 10 potential project approaches down to three options.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The Tigers whittled one of those UK leads down to five points with just over 10 minutes left.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
After trailing 75-50 in the third quarter, the Spurs whittled the margin to 11 points by the end of the period and opened the fourth with an 18-5 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes.
—Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On fourth-and-3 from the Washington 8 in the third quarter, rather than take a field goal that would’ve whittled Washington’s lead to 29-21.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Cocurators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer drew up a list of well over 400 creatives, made studio visits to upwards of 300, and whittled the tally down to 56 individuals, duos, and collectives.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2026
Earlier this month, the department whittled the list down to 30 finalists.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Further investigation with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) whittled these galaxies down to 70 faint dusty galaxy candidates on the very edge of the cosmos, the majority of which had never been seen before.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2026
After weighing 22 criteria ranging from impacts upon water pollution, noise and air quality to opportunities for economic growth, MnDOT has whittled 10 potential project approaches down to three options.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittled
Verb
-
Medical experts say if a rattlesnake bites, keep the area still, at or below heart level, do not apply ice, do not cut the wound, and do not suck out the venom – and seek help immediately.—
Jasmine Viel,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Aztecs were within nine points late in the first half against Michigan and had a 3 rattle out that would have cut it to six before getting their doors blown off 94-54, their most lopsided defeat of the 21st century.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rowland, however, clipped a Columbus Aviators’ player in the back and flags flew just before Badger crossed the goal line.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
-
His Land Rover clipped another vehicle and went over.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Laughton also lowered the boom on Marchessault in the first period.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
When the Coast Guard's Jayhawk helicopter arrived on scene, a rescue swimmer was lowered into the ocean.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Galaxy dropped a second consecutive home game and fell to just 1-2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park so far this season, following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Minnesota United in front of 22,147.—
Damian Calhoun,
Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
This protocol set timelines for how long criminal defendants could be held without legal representation, and allowed cases to be dropped if a defendant went too long without legal representation, which they are constitutionally entitled to.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Lawmakers pared back the idea through the amendment process in February, citing concerns that the original language would swell state spending, box out private pest-control companies and create an unfunded mandate to counties, which historically handle pests that threaten farms and infrastructure.—
Mark Dee
March 31,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Asian equity markets pared early losses, with some reversing into positive territory on the news.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittled. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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