whittle

1 of 2

verb

whit·​tle ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl 

whittled; whittling ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl-iŋ 

ˈ(h)wit-liŋ

transitive verb

1

a

: to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife

b

: to shape or form by so paring or cutting

2

: to reduce, remove, or destroy gradually as if by cutting off bits with a knife : pare

whittle down expenses

intransitive verb

1

: to cut or shape something (such as wood) by or as if by paring it with a knife

2

: to wear oneself or another out with fretting

whittler

ˈ(h)wit-lər

ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl-ər 

noun

whittle

2 of 2

noun

archaic

: a large knife

Examples of whittle in a Sentence

Verb

He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick.

She whittled a walking stick from a maple tree branch.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

By Thursday night, the group — including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Cole Cameron, chair of the Santa Clara County Veterans Commission — had whittled the gap to about $30,000, which included a cushion for unexpected costs. —Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2024

Lawsuits over its platform counterfeiting people’s designs and concerns over its supply chain practices have whittled the chances of a U.S. IPO. —Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 24 Sep. 2024

After months of proposals and site visits, Sundance has whittled the swath of contenders for a potential new home for the festival down to three. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2024

In fact, some don’t, while others lose body parts (including Roz, who relies on a beaver to whittle her a replacement leg). —Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English whittel, alteration of thwitel, from thwiten to whittle, from Old English thwītan; akin to Old Norse thveita to hew

First Known Use

Verb

1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing whittle

• whittle away
• whittle down

Kids Definition

whittle

verb

whit·​tle

ˈhwit-ᵊl,

ˈwit-

whittled; whittling

-liŋ,

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

a

: to shave or cut off chips from the surface of wood with a knife

b

: to shape or form by so shaving or cutting

2

: to reduce gradually : pare

whittle down expenses

whittler

-lər

-ᵊl-ər

noun