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
But much to her dismay, those supporting roles were largely whittled away in post-production.
—
Max Gao, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Since coming to power in 2002, the AKP has whittled away at the generals’ influence, which has left Turkey’s once omnipotent armed forces weak and divided.
—Gonul Tol, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2016
While the case was pending throughout the 1940s, various interim settlements whittled away at studio practices; after a 1940 consent decree attacked the practice of block booking, the major studios generally abandoned their B-units as not worth the cost.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Feb. 2025
Another focuses on first whittling away at those obligations carrying the highest interest rates.
—Russ Wiles, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle away
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Max Gao, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Since coming to power in 2002, the AKP has whittled away at the generals’ influence, which has left Turkey’s once omnipotent armed forces weak and divided.
—Gonul Tol, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2016
While the case was pending throughout the 1940s, various interim settlements whittled away at studio practices; after a 1940 consent decree attacked the practice of block booking, the major studios generally abandoned their B-units as not worth the cost.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Feb. 2025
Another focuses on first whittling away at those obligations carrying the highest interest rates.
—Russ Wiles, USA Today, 6 Apr. 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 13 May. 2025.
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