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.

They had whittled it down significantly from $18,000, “but then Christmas happened,” Orth said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

But the boost that Amazon's cloud could reap from powering businesses' AI demand has yet to materialize in full, while those same customers had whittled down spending wherever they could.

From Reuters • Aug. 3, 2023

His clothes hung loose; months in prison had whittled down his formerly heavy frame.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2023

Entering that possession, the Suns had whittled a nine-point halftime deficit to one, and Hachimura was initially whistled for a charge on the play.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 28, 2022

Then Pa gave her a little wooden man he had whittled out of a stick, to be company for Charlotte.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder