as in cutting
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 whittling
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent screened the qualifying candidates, whittling the list down to five and then four.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Thompson estimated larger labels can sign hundreds of trainees before whittling them down to a final selection.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
The 50-member panel test drives all of the vehicles, whittling a list of dozens of qualifying vehicles down to semifinalists, before naming the finalists from which the winners are chosen.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Born in 1970 in Herber City, Utah, Allen is largely self-taught, having begun his artistic career by whittling figures and selling them from atop an ironing board on the streets of SoHo in New York.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Nov. 2025
Still, Kansas never slowed, whittling Duke’s margin to five on three consecutive possessions midway through the second half… only for Scheyer’s squad to respond each time.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Here, artisans guide visitors through the basics of whittling and woodturning workshops, teaching you about the tools and techniques of one of the oldest forms of art.
—Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Beauty was whittling myself down with anorexia and the gasps of college friends at the beauty of my bones through my skin.
—Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2025
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Thompson estimated larger labels can sign hundreds of trainees before whittling them down to a final selection.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
The 50-member panel test drives all of the vehicles, whittling a list of dozens of qualifying vehicles down to semifinalists, before naming the finalists from which the winners are chosen.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Born in 1970 in Herber City, Utah, Allen is largely self-taught, having begun his artistic career by whittling figures and selling them from atop an ironing board on the streets of SoHo in New York.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Nov. 2025
Still, Kansas never slowed, whittling Duke’s margin to five on three consecutive possessions midway through the second half… only for Scheyer’s squad to respond each time.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Here, artisans guide visitors through the basics of whittling and woodturning workshops, teaching you about the tools and techniques of one of the oldest forms of art.
—Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Beauty was whittling myself down with anorexia and the gasps of college friends at the beauty of my bones through my skin.
—Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling
Verb
-
With equal panache, and without cutting away, the narrative focus is handed like a baton in a relay race to the arriving Mayor Dumont (Josse De Pauw) and his daughter and press attaché Marie (Violet Braeckman).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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The Legislature should focus on lowering costs by delivering permanent property tax relief, restraining state and local spending, cutting red tape that drives up housing and energy costs, and expanding reliable energy production to keep utilities affordable.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Reviews from most of the out-of-town papers mostly arrived courtesy of the clipping service.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Vonn lost control within moments of leaving the start house, clipping a gate with her right shoulder and pinwheeling down the slope before ending up awkwardly on her back, her skis crisscrossed below her and her screams ringing out soon after medical personnel arrived.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The initiative is expected to restore 200 million gallons of water per year for ten years while lowering irrigation costs.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Deductions reduce a filer's taxable income, lowering their overall tax bill.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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