Definitions

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.

You also need to superproof your financial future before chipping away at funds that are, I hope, continuing to make money for you.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

The agency has seen a decrease in funding since 2011, with inflation chipping away at a largely stagnant budget.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026

She says: "We are lucky we do have somebody that's got that knowledge, and a bit of time that he can just keep chipping away at it".

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

KHARKIV, Ukraine—A Ukrainian counterattack in the country’s southeast is chipping away at Russian advances there and demonstrating that Kyiv’s forces have got plenty of fight left as Moscow’s invasion stretches into a fifth year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

My father started chipping away at a plaster wall in the living room of our house in Bybanks shortly after my mother left us one April morning.

From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech