whittle away
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
The utopia was temporary, its beauty and its small victories whittled away by the scythe of inaction. —
Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026 Lifting them up puts more money back into the economy, but both draft budgets whittle away at programs to help them. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026 After 16 years in power and four straight election victories, Orban is facing an unprecedented challenge from a center-right opponent — Peter Magyar of the Tisza party — who has sought to whittle away at Orban’s rural support base with months of relentless touring in the countryside. —Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Salah is part of a larger trend of attacks on immigrants that whittle away at democratic norms and legal protections for everyone. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for whittle away
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026 Lifting them up puts more money back into the economy, but both draft budgets whittle away at programs to help them. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026 After 16 years in power and four straight election victories, Orban is facing an unprecedented challenge from a center-right opponent — Peter Magyar of the Tisza party — who has sought to whittle away at Orban’s rural support base with months of relentless touring in the countryside. —Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Salah is part of a larger trend of attacks on immigrants that whittle away at democratic norms and legal protections for everyone. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for whittle away
Cite this Entry
“Whittle away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/whittle%20away. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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