chisel
Americannoun
-
a wedgelike tool with a cutting edge at the end of the blade, often made of steel, used for cutting or shaping wood, stone, etc.
-
Astronomy. Chisel, the constellation Caelum.
verb (used with object)
-
to cut, shape, or fashion by or as if by carving with a chisel.
-
to cheat or swindle (someone).
He chiseled me out of fifty dollars.
-
to get (something) by cheating or trickery.
He chiseled fifty dollars out of me.
noun
verb
-
to carve (wood, stone, metal, etc) or form (an engraving, statue, etc) with or as with a chisel
-
slang to cheat or obtain by cheating
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chiselsimple
-
chiselssimple
-
have chiseledperfect
-
have chiselledperfect
-
has chiseledperfect
-
has chiselledperfect
-
am chiselingprogressive
-
am chisellingprogressive
-
are chiselingprogressive
-
are chisellingprogressive
-
is chiselingprogressive
-
is chisellingprogressive
-
have been chiselingperfect progressive
-
have been chisellingperfect progressive
-
has been chiselingperfect progressive
-
has been chisellingperfect progressive
Past
-
chiseledsimple
-
chiselledsimple
-
had chiseledperfect
-
had chiselledperfect
-
was chiselingprogressive
-
was chisellingprogressive
-
were chiselingprogressive
-
were chisellingprogressive
-
had been chiselingperfect progressive
-
had been chisellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chisel
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Anglo-French, variant of Old French cisel, from unattested Vulgar Latin cīsellus, diminutive of unattested cīsus, for Latin caesus, past participle of caedere “to cut,” with -ī- generalized from prefixed derivatives; cf. excide
Explanation
When you carve a statue from a block of marble, you use a tool called a chisel to cut out the shape. Chisel is the name of the tool and also the name of the action. A chisel has a flat, sharp end. To carve using a chisel, you hit the back of it with a hammer or another blunt instrument. Chisel can also mean "to cheat." If someone chisels you out of your allowance, they shaved it away from you bit by bit.
Vocabulary lists containing chisel
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
On a Pedestal: Marble-ous Words for Sculpture
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
KYIV, Ukraine—It was late January, and an elite Ukrainian team grabbed their tools for a special operation critical to their country’s resistance against Russia: an underwater drone, a hammer and a chisel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
“CMS is continuing to chisel away at higher spending associated with coding intensity,” says Tricia Neuman, executive director for the Program on Medicare Policy at KFF, a health policy nonprofit.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
They stooped to cut the right-size stalks at the base with a sudden jab of an asparagus knife, a tool that resembles a fireplace poker with a forked chisel tip instead of a point.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2024
Finally, he was able to chisel out the embedded trunk handle to open it, clambering in and driving his Model Y Long Range S.U.V. five miles to the closet supercharging station.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
Like taking a chisel to my own psyche.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
JOHANNESBURG—For years, hundreds of illegal miners known locally as zama zamas prospected for gold on this patch of land on the outskirts of the city with hammers and chisels in hand-dug tunnels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
One promising option is tungsten carbide, an Earth-abundant material already widely used in industrial machinery, cutting tools, and chisels.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2026
Every day in prison "chisels away at their mental and physical health," Mr Bennett said, adding: "They are not spies for the British state."
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026
He saw others who wanted to take a piece of it, who’d come to the metaphorical mountain with chisels in hand.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2024
The banging of hammers and chink of chisels filled the air, summer, autumn, winter, and spring.
From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye
Through years of extraordinary political upheaval, the sound engineer at No. 10 Downing Street has served as a chiseled omen of great change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I felt so much pressure every time I go on Instagram and I see these chiseled, really fit, good-looking guys,” says Robinson, a 31-year-old Manhattan resident who designs hospitals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Farther down the Strip, I chatted with a convincing Captain America, whose chiseled jawline and sandy blond hair were betrayed only by his height, about 5-foot-10.
From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025
If you’ve been there, then you know that the stark and hallowed message of that memorial is “Freedom Is Not Free,” words chiseled in stone.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2025
Three dark pegs were set above a word chiseled into the wood.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
What counts as good looking is narrowly defined: chiselled facial features and visible muscles are non-negotiables.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
He shared a picture that he claimed was of himself showing his chiselled abs on the beach and claimed to be financially secure.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
He was the "full package," Mr Tracey added, "including the chiselled good looks".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2025
He had a licence to charm on screen, with his sultry voice and suave, chiselled good looks.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024
The many faces of the stone had sharp edges as though they had been newly chiselled.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
“Looksmaxxing” has men hammering their jawlines, chiseling their own bone structure like Michelangelo with a front-facing camera.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Zhong likens this to a sculptor chiseling away at marble until the final form emerges.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2025
By reducing the cost of chiseling, Springut reasons, architects can once again embrace the decorative flourishes of carved stone.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2023
Some villagers have set up fortifications made of bamboo around their houses, chiseling its edges in the shape of spears to keep mobs away.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2023
In the dark crypts below Winterfell, a stonemason was chiseling out his father's likeness in granite.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
The team experimented with different carving and chiselling techniques and discovered fire was also an effective way to carve out the inside of the boat.
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
However, he said a local architect had "spotted its significance and got permission to save the artwork, spending a day chiselling it off the wall".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2022
We entered frosty courts by a secret hatchway and waved wooden racquets in majestic arcs, a ceremony akin to polar explorers chiselling out ice caves.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 18, 2016
He has also worked relentlessly over a decade to achieve his goal, losing weight, chiselling his body into extreme aerodynamic proportions.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 21, 2012
At close up, his features blunter, less sensitive in chiselling than appears in his photographs.
From Turns about Town by Holliday, Robert Cortes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
