whittle down
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 more than that, a longer time horizon also gives you more time to build equity, whittle down your loan balance, and make the costs of your loan worth it.
—
Aly J Yale, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Now, after careful review by over 80 industry veterans, that number has been whittled down to the final nine.
—Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2026
Obama administration negotiators witnessed this firsthand, as Iran whittled down resistance to some of its demands over years of talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
—Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
No pressure, just months of conversations to whittle down in order to predict the top-10 picks of the NFL Draft.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Aly J Yale, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Now, after careful review by over 80 industry veterans, that number has been whittled down to the final nine.
—Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2026
Obama administration negotiators witnessed this firsthand, as Iran whittled down resistance to some of its demands over years of talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
—Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
No pressure, just months of conversations to whittle down in order to predict the top-10 picks of the NFL Draft.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
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 1 May. 2026.
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