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whittles

  • present tense form
    of whittle (3rd person singular).
    whittle
    verb (used with object)
    to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.

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:

That’s because inflation whittles away at the real purchasing power of those future interest payments.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

Continuing to work whittles away at what time we have left to travel and enjoy the rest of the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025

This event often whittles down the primary field to a handful of candidates.

From Reuters ● Aug. 16, 2023

“We all start as strong people, it seems, but then ultimately the power whittles away at our souls and changes who we are. Look, I’m not built for that.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023

The Damasio team whittles it down to one.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman