whittle

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.

Warner worked to whittle down that debt load, cutting costs relentlessly and putting cash flow toward debt payments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

When you work on other aspects of your 2025 taxes, you may whittle your income down enough to qualify.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

“American Primeval” “As always, this is one of the tougher categories to whittle down, but my favorite of the year remains ‘The Penguin.’

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025

To whittle it down — I thought about the emotional parallels with our own species, humans.

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2025

Sure enough, after handing Tree-ear the bowls to wash, Crane-man sat down with his knife and a sturdy straight branch and began to whittle a new crutch.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park