chipping

VERB

knock a piece out of

Synonyms

STRONGEST

chop crack hack nick splinter whack

STRONG

break chisel clip crumble damage flake fragment gash hackle hew incise notch shape shear slash slice sliver snick snip split whittle

WEAK

crack off cut away cut off

Antonyms

STRONGEST

fix mend

STRONG

build combine increase join put together

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For decades, Greenland quietly incubated one of the last of the anticolonial movements chipping away at an old European empire.

From The Wall Street Journal

And what would be the consequences of chipping away at Fed independence?

From Salon

Experts advise removing and properly disposing of heavily infested trees, which entails chipping them.

From Los Angeles Times

Liverpool had an incredible escape when Jimenez was unable to finish after bursting through, Wilson chipping the rebound onto the bar before Van Dijk cleared the follow-up off the line.

From Barron's

That means settling down to watch the Boxing Day cricket Test match between Australia and England while chipping away at a jigsaw.

From BBC