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.
Whittling it down to 10 contenders is no easy feat - you can have your say below.
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
Whittling away, I ended up barely touching the tip to my thumb.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2022
Whittling and knife work really engage this age group.
From The Guardian • Apr. 4, 2020
Whittling down my favorites to a mere Top Ten was an insurmountable challenge—and there were still so many I didn’t get to, all of them floating in that literary quantum state of potential perfection.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 9, 2019
Whittling my wing was a mere trifle, but my broken leg was a long time mending, and now it's shorter than it really ought to be.
From The Go-Getter by Kyne, Peter B. (Peter Bernard)
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.
