Etymology
Origin of whittling
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 also cut down the number of players, starting the second season with 200 contestants before quickly whittling them down to 100, then 25.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026
After whittling what had been a 24-point deficit to four with a little more than three minutes left Saturday, the Bruins could not find the miracle finish they were seeking.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2026
But the key is to put a cap on how much you spend to avoid falling into the trap of whittling away your winnings.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 12, 2025
In each case, he wrote and recorded some 50 songs before whittling down his track lists considerably.
From Salon • Jun. 24, 2025
Sitting next to Longstreet, on a stump, also whittling, was a tall slim man with an extraordinary face, eyes with a cold glint in them, erect in posture even as he sat, cutting a stick.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
