chisel

1 of 2

noun

chis·​el ˈchi-zᵊl 

: a metal tool with a sharpened edge at one end used to chip, carve, or cut into a solid material (such as wood, stone, or metal)

chisel

2 of 2

verb

chiseled or chiselled; chiseling or chiselling ˈchi-zə-liŋ 

ˈchiz-liŋ

transitive verb

1

: to cut or work with or as if with a chisel

2

: to employ shrewd or unfair practices on in order to obtain one's end

also : to obtain by such practices

chisel a job

intransitive verb

1

: to work with or as if with a chisel

2

a

: to employ shrewd or unfair practices

b

: to thrust oneself : intrude

chisel in on a racket

chiseler noun

or chiseller

ˈchi-zə-lər 

ˈchiz-lər

Synonyms

Verb

• beat
• bilk
• bleed
• cheat
• chouse
• con
• cozen
• defraud
• diddle
• do
• do in
• euchre
• fiddle
• fleece
• flimflam
• gaff
• hose [slang]
• hustle
• mulct
• nobble [British slang]
• pluck
• ream
• rip off
• rook
• screw
• shake down
• short
• shortchange
• skin
• skunk
• squeeze
• stick
• stiff
• sting
• sucker
• swindle
• thimblerig
• victimize

Examples of chisel in a Sentence

Verb

He chiseled off a corner of the block.

Letters were chiseled into a wall.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Call for volunteers to clean park in fire zone faces pushback in Altadena Nonato laid his chisel against the mortar and gingerly began to tap the top of the tool with a hammer. —Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025

In the clip, two workers in high visibility vests appeared to use hammers and chisels to break apart stone blocks on the pyramid. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025

Verb

But Perkins uses James’s physicality—the actor is visibly chiseled—to signal to the audience that Hal is fully capable of confrontation, if and when needed. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2025

America has stronger protections for speech, better safeguards for religious liberty, and more robust shields for conscience than anywhere else — and, better still, those protections are chiseled into our foundational law. —The Editors, National Review, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French *chisel, cisel, from Vulgar Latin *cisellum, alteration of caesellum, from Latin caesus, past participle of caedere to cut

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1509, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing chisel

• cold chisel
• firmer chisel

Rhymes for chisel

• drizzle
• fizzle
• grizzle
• sisal
• sizzle

Kids Definition

chisel

1 of 2 noun

chis·​el ˈchiz-əl 

: a metal tool with a cutting edge at the end of a blade used to shape or chip away a solid material (as stone, wood, or metal)

chisel

2 of 2 verb

chiseled or chiselled; chiseling or chiselling

ˈchiz-(ə-)liŋ

1

: to cut or work with or as if with a chisel

2

: to use unfair or dishonest methods

chiseler

ˈchiz-(ə-)lər

noun

Medical Definition

chisel

noun

chis·​el ˈchiz-əl 

: a metal tool with a cutting edge at the end of a blade

especially : one used in dentistry (as for cutting or shaping enamel)