as in cut
to cause to diminish gradually by or as if by cutting off bits with a knife
He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick.
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Recent Examples of whittled
The European Union, once a top Kremlin customer, has banned all seaborne imports of Russian crude oil, and whittled Moscow’s share of its natural gas imports delivered via pipeline to about 11% last year, from more than 40% in 2021.
—
Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
After ten weeks and 550 matches, the sixteen teams of the Premier League of MLP have been whittled to ten, the six Challenger teams are in Southern California, and the playoff schedules are out.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
After ten weeks and 550 matches, the sixteen teams of the Premier League of MLP have been whittled to ten, the six Challenger teams are in Southern California, and the playoff schedules are out.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittled
Verb
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Others have cut bills by a factor of five.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Jobless claims hit their highest level since 2021 last week, adding to recent labor market revisions that have fueled confidence the Fed will cut rates in September.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The video quickly clipped to the white sedan engulfed in flames.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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In contrast, other states with stricter regimes may have their wings clipped.—
Owen Tedford,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Natasha Rothwell swanned into the auditorium as the lights were lowered, as her costar Dom Hetrakul literally carried her gown's train to limit the number of people stepping on it.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
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The introduction of name, image and likeness money and unlimited transfers has accelerated player movement at an unprecedented rate and lowered the ceiling at the top of the sport.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The report said that water storage in Washington’s five reservoirs in the Yakima River Basin has dropped sharply, bringing levels, at times, to some of the lowest measured since record-keeping started in 1971.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Netflix dropped the first trailer for fantasy series The Witcher’s fourth season Saturday evening.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Utilities are reduced in phases, while security is often heightened and maintenance pared down to essentials.—
Kristin Mueller,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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To make that possible, models are often pared down to conserve energy and processing power.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittled. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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