whittle

[US]/ˈwɪtl/
[UK]/ˈwɪtl/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

vt. pare down; cut; reduce; weaken
vi. carve; carve wood; damage one's body
n. carving knife
Word Forms
Past Participlewhittled
Third Person Singularwhittles
Present Participlewhittling
Pluralwhittles
Past Tensewhittled

Phrases & Collocations

whittle away

whittle down

whittle into shape

whittle a stick

whittle a figure

whittle a sculpture

whittle a design

Example Sentences

whittle away a fortune

whittle a toy boat.

the shortlist of fifteen was whittled down to five.

Other ways to whittle down banks are thinkable.

whittled down the debt by making small payments.

The government’s majority has been whittled down to eight.

Our lead (= in a sports competition, for example) was being gradually whittled away.

Whittled by a half million years of wind and rain, the haunting claystone hills and buttes of Badlands National Park rise above the surrounding sea of grasslands.

Real-world Examples

The once numerous field of presidential candidates has been whittled down.

Source: CNN 10 Student English April 2020 Collection

As often happens in Italy, a daunting punishment has been whittled down to a mild reproof.

Source: The Economist (Summary)

Sand is made when rocks are slowly whittled down into tiny little pebble grains.

Source: One Hundred Thousand Whys

He was very good at whittling, too.

Source: American Elementary School English 3

Eight years in the making, Mr Paulin's poetry has been whittled down over years of revision.

Source: The Economist - Arts

When the menopause arrives, that has been whittled down below 1,000, which are likely to be duds.

Source: The Economist - Technology

They found that individuals had preferences for different kinds of drumsticks usually distinctively whittled down from small branches.

Source: BBC Listening Collection September 2023

Some businesses are using artificial intelligence to whittle down a field of job applicants.

Source: CNN 10 Student English January 2020 Collection

We whittled it down over time and picked two on last Friday.

Source: VOA Standard English_Americas

After that, ballots are sent out and the nominations are whittled down by Academy members.

Source: CNN Selected July 2015 Collection

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