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
Recent Examples on the Web
As February continues, the bracket and seeding possibilities whittle away.
—
Mark Schindler, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Still, opposition figures have not failed to notice how setbacks in the war have whittled away at Mr. Zelensky’s popularity.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
But the company still has a pile of IOUs to whittle away, which could limit its dividend aggression.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Around 20 million years ago, as wind and streams whittled away at the Rocky Mountains, the debris was dumped in the High Plains, a dusty bed of sand and gravel.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
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Mark Schindler, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Still, opposition figures have not failed to notice how setbacks in the war have whittled away at Mr. Zelensky’s popularity.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
But the company still has a pile of IOUs to whittle away, which could limit its dividend aggression.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Around 20 million years ago, as wind and streams whittled away at the Rocky Mountains, the debris was dumped in the High Plains, a dusty bed of sand and gravel.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
Cite this Entry
“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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