whittle

¹

[hwit-l, wit-l]

verb (used with object)

whittled, whittling 

1. to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.

2. to form by whittling.

   to whittle a figure.

3. to cut off (a bit).

4. to reduce the amount of, as if by whittling; pare down; take away by degrees (usually followed by down, away, etc.).

   to whittle down the company's overhead; to whittle away one's inheritance.

verb (used without object)

whittled, whittling 

1. to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion.

   to spend an afternoon whittling.

2. to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing.

noun

1. British Dialect.,  a knife, especially a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.

Whittle

²

[hwit-l, wit-l]

noun

1. Sir Frank, 1907–96, English engineer and inventor.

whittle

¹

/ ˈwɪtəl /

verb

1. to cut or shave strips or pieces from (wood, a stick, etc), esp with a knife

2. (tr) to make or shape by paring or shaving

3. (tr; often foll by away, down, off, etc) to reduce, destroy, or wear away gradually

4. dialect,  (intr) to complain or worry about something continually

noun

1. dialect,  a knife, esp a large one

Whittle

²

/ ˈwɪtəl /

noun

1. Sir Frank. 1907–96, English engineer, who invented the jet engine for aircraft; flew first British jet aircraft (1941)

Whittle

1. British aeronautical engineer and inventor who developed the first aircraft engine powered by jet propulsion in 1937.

Other Word Forms

• whittler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of whittle¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), dialectal variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt ( an ) to cut + -el -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of whittle¹

C16: variant of C15 thwittle large knife, from Old English thwitel, from thwītan to cut; related to Old Norse thveitr cut, thveita to beat

Example Sentences

ReplayTV then got shuttled from owner to owner, getting whittled away as its technology became more outmoded.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And now the Dodgers season has been rudely whittled to two more days.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

What that does is test the creativity of Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman to devise ways to fortify the line and protect Herbert without whittling away too many offensive options.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Billed as a fundraiser, the debt-ridden centre said the money from the portfolios would go towards whittling down a long list of overdue bills, including unpaid wages for educators.

Read more on BBC

City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, who oversees labor negotiations at City Hall, said the money freed up by the agreements whittled the number of remaining layoffs to 76.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• diminish 
• erode 
• lessen 
• pare 
• shave 
• trim