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

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Thousands of players from all corners of the globe can be monitored and whittled down using statistical analysis, allowing clubs to draw up shortlists based on the data. —

Philip Buckingham, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024 Squeeze out every last drib of space, pare back energy costs, and whittle down every extra pound of concrete and steel until your design is as lean as a racehorse. —

Justin Davidson, Curbed, 12 Dec. 2024 The 22-episode YouTube series whittled down 11 teenage hopefuls from the United States and Canada through challenges focused on vocals, dancing, character, and star quality before Park selected the final sextet. —

Jeff Benjamin, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024 The Academy of Art University has decided that now is the time to begin whittling down the collection and share its wealth with other collectors. —

Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for whittle down