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
Read More In the early 1960s, King and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, were among the writers whittling songs to perfection as part of the Brill Building era.
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New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The Vegas Golden Knights, the team directly ahead of the Kings in the Pacific Division standings, have lost six of their last 10, whittling their lead to four points over the Kings in the battle for the division’s third and final postseason berth.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
Longman, production exec Suzy Aplin and their team sifted through 1,800 audition tapes before whittling things down.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Since then, there have been fall 1996 Gianni Versace Couture gowns at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards and a waist-whittling custom Ashi Studio creation for the 2026 Golden Globes.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2026
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
New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The Vegas Golden Knights, the team directly ahead of the Kings in the Pacific Division standings, have lost six of their last 10, whittling their lead to four points over the Kings in the battle for the division’s third and final postseason berth.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
Longman, production exec Suzy Aplin and their team sifted through 1,800 audition tapes before whittling things down.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Since then, there have been fall 1996 Gianni Versace Couture gowns at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards and a waist-whittling custom Ashi Studio creation for the 2026 Golden Globes.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling
Verb
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Vesia surrendered a two-run triple to Swanson and an RBI single to Nico Hoerner, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to one.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Part of that includes 'cutting the pond' using machinery to dig through the sand and allow water to flow in and out.—
Jacob Wycoff,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Vikki Papagno holds up a newspaper clipping from her scrapbook.—
Mary Murphy,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Shoppers also claim that the D-ring built into the rim of the bag is a useful feature for clipping keys onto so that they don’t get buried inside.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her three towering masts, which stand at approximately 328 feet and support over 16,000 square feet of rigid sails, can be rotated a full 360 degrees to maximize the wind, thereby reducing fuel consumption, lowering operating costs, and increasing efficiency.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
30 Apr. 2026
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Nosy Iranja, Madagascar Off the coast of Madagascar, a lowering tide reveals two tiny islets from a sandbar.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittling. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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