chisel
Americannoun
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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.
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Astronomy. Chisel, the constellation Caelum.
verb (used with object)
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to cut, shape, or fashion by or as if by carving with a chisel.
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to cheat or swindle (someone).
He chiseled me out of fifty dollars.
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to get (something) by cheating or trickery.
He chiseled fifty dollars out of me.
noun
verb
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to carve (wood, stone, metal, etc) or form (an engraving, statue, etc) with or as with a chisel
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slang to cheat or obtain by cheating
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chiselsimple
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chiselssimple
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have chiseledperfect
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have chiselledperfect
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has chiseledperfect
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has chiselledperfect
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am chiselingprogressive
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am chisellingprogressive
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are chiselingprogressive
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are chisellingprogressive
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is chiselingprogressive
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is chisellingprogressive
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have been chiselingperfect progressive
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have been chisellingperfect progressive
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has been chiselingperfect progressive
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has been chisellingperfect progressive
Past
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chiseledsimple
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chiselledsimple
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had chiseledperfect
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had chiselledperfect
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was chiselingprogressive
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was chisellingprogressive
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were chiselingprogressive
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were chisellingprogressive
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had been chiselingperfect progressive
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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
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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On a Pedestal: Marble-ous Words for Sculpture
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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.
“I had to put the table upside down and use a chisel and grinder to remove as much material as I could. It took us three tries to get the table right.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
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
Alternatively, it might just be a personal DIY job they want assistance with, or just some company while they potter and chisel away.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2024
Once, and once only, the master hand that carved her face had let the chisel slip.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
