paring

[ pair-ing ]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that pares.
2. a piece or part pared off:

   apple parings.

paring

/ ˈpɛərɪŋ /

noun

1. often plural something pared or cut off

Word History and Origins

Origin of paring¹

1350–1400; Middle English (gerund); pare, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The blade looks like the lovechild of a chef’s knife and a paring knife.

From Outside Online

You can find all manner of knives, but I’d recommend paring and serrated knives the most as they are best replaced once they’ve gone dull.

From Washington Post

Using a paring knife, score the skin of each peach from end to end, without cutting into the flesh.

From Washington Post

Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then gently loosen the edges by running a small offset spatula or paring knife around the edge.

From Eater

The paring back of real estate is an economic reality many businesses from all sorts of sectors currently face as the coronavirus crisis grinds on.

From Digiday

The 15-part show was due to begin on March 3, with Peaches paring up with her Golden Retriever, Parper.

From The Daily Beast

As American president Theodore Roosevelt found, paring down language can go too far.

From The Daily Beast

How did the novel evolve away from your original idea of it, and can you say something the editorial process, the paring away.

From The Daily Beast

It has the shape of a chef's knife, and the fine motor control of a paring knife.

From The Daily Beast

They look like the most sober and ambitious of minimal paintings, taking Barnett Newman and paring him down further.

From The Daily Beast

When I again turned to Lessard he still stood at the end of the desk, industriously paring his fingernails.

From Project Gutenberg

After an apple was pared in one continuous strip, the paring was tossed three times round the head, and then thrown to the floor.

From Project Gutenberg

The pen-knife slid along the bit of glass he was paring upon, and cut his other hand.

From Project Gutenberg

For, in paring, we lose a portion of the richest part of the potato, as in the case of paring the apple.

From Project Gutenberg

For preparing grapefruit, a narrow, sharp-bladed paring knife may be used.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• flake
• fragment
• shaving
• shred
• slice
• snippet