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.

Now, that list has whittled down to about a dozen basins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Labour has whittled down its search to replace Jeremy Corbyn as a general election candidate in his north London seat to two people.

From BBC • May 23, 2024

The move seems to signal an end to realignment among the nation’s wealthiest and most powerful college athletic conferences after three years of turbulent movement that has whittled the so-called Power Five down to four.

From Washington Times • Sep. 1, 2023

And as the variant exploded, what was already a relatively sparse early 2022 theatrical release schedule has whittled away to just a few major studio titles.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2022

We were a pretty big section once, but Thurston's virus has whittled us down.

From Pandemic by Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin)