whittle down
phrasal verb
whittled down; whittling down; whittles down
: to gradually make (something) smaller by removing parts
We whittled the list down to four people.
Examples of whittle down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The 68-team bracket starts whittling down on Tuesday with preliminary games, and the main draw kicks off on Thursday and Friday, with 32 games at eight sites around the country.
—
Eddie Pells, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025
Over the course of the season, viewers will see 15 chefs be whittled down episode by episode until only one remains.
—Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Opening Day is just under three weeks away and the Twins have finally begun to whittle down the roster, making their first cuts of camp on Sunday.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025
Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images Most Republican lawmakers have so far shown little interest in objecting as the Trump administration tries to whittle down agencies established and funded by Congress.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Eddie Pells, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025
Over the course of the season, viewers will see 15 chefs be whittled down episode by episode until only one remains.
—Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Opening Day is just under three weeks away and the Twins have finally begun to whittle down the roster, making their first cuts of camp on Sunday.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025
Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images Most Republican lawmakers have so far shown little interest in objecting as the Trump administration tries to whittle down agencies established and funded by Congress.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
Cite this Entry
“Whittle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20down. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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