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

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Other big bergs have been whittled away, allowing A23a to reclaim its crown, at least for a while. —

Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024 But the shifts whittled away at the Democrats’ historic urban advantage and opened up a new avenue outside rural Wisconsin for Republican inroads. —

Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024 While the county made good on its promise by buying prime farmland for protection, commissioners over the years have whittled away Ag Reserve protections, despite steady vigilance by citizens. —

Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2024 Current polling has Wisconsin and the rest of the Midwest at a dead heat, with aggregates showing that Vice President Kamala Harris' small lead in Michigan and Pennsylvania whittled away completely in the final days of the race. —

Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for whittle away