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
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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
Harris, Reilly noted, has also focused on whittling away at Trump’s advantage among Mormon voters in the state, a group that historically has favored Republicans.
—Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
Between governors and secretaries of state likely to block any efforts to reverse an outcome, a Supreme Court decision that limits state legislatures' power in federal elections, and increased public awareness, Trump’s 2020 path to overturning an election has all but whittled away.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
From this perspective, whittling away at the remaining, mostly minor restrictions on trade in goods or financial assets does not make much sense.
—Dani Rodrik, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
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Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Harris, Reilly noted, has also focused on whittling away at Trump’s advantage among Mormon voters in the state, a group that historically has favored Republicans.
—Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
Between governors and secretaries of state likely to block any efforts to reverse an outcome, a Supreme Court decision that limits state legislatures' power in federal elections, and increased public awareness, Trump’s 2020 path to overturning an election has all but whittled away.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
From this perspective, whittling away at the remaining, mostly minor restrictions on trade in goods or financial assets does not make much sense.
—Dani Rodrik, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
See all Example Sentences for whittle away
Dictionary Entries Near whittle away
Cite this Entry
“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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