whittle away
phrasal verb
whittled away; whittling away; whittles away
: to reduce or get rid of (something) slowly
I'm still trying to whittle away a few more pounds.
Examples of whittle away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Owens, executive producer of the venerable Sunday night news magazine, suggested the show’s editorial independence has been whittled away as corporate parent Paramount seeks to make peace with Trump.
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Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
Even when the Knicks seemed to pull away, Indiana would whittle away at the lead bit by bit.
—Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 22 May 2025
But much to her dismay, those supporting roles were largely whittled away in post-production.
—Max Gao, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Since coming to power in 2002, the AKP has whittled away at the generals’ influence, which has left Turkey’s once omnipotent armed forces weak and divided.
—Gonul Tol, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2016
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
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Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
Even when the Knicks seemed to pull away, Indiana would whittle away at the lead bit by bit.
—Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 22 May 2025
But much to her dismay, those supporting roles were largely whittled away in post-production.
—Max Gao, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Since coming to power in 2002, the AKP has whittled away at the generals’ influence, which has left Turkey’s once omnipotent armed forces weak and divided.
—Gonul Tol, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2016
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
Cite this Entry
“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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