whittle down
phrasal verb
whittled down; whittling down; whittles down
: to gradually make (something) smaller by removing parts
We whittled the list down to four people.
Examples of whittle down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Indeed, after shedding retail and sport-lifestyle holdings, Kering was whittled down to a luxury pure player with revenues just north of 3 billion euros.
—
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
One of the new mechanical ideas for this game gives the dinos two targets for players for whittle down.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Not long ago, such an idea would have seemed dystopian; now, that’s just the everyday gig economy whittled down to its most cruelly efficient form.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
As all 32 teams in the NFL begin whittling down their respective rosters ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s deadline, the Dallas Cowboys have made their first handful of moves.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
One of the new mechanical ideas for this game gives the dinos two targets for players for whittle down.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Not long ago, such an idea would have seemed dystopian; now, that’s just the everyday gig economy whittled down to its most cruelly efficient form.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
As all 32 teams in the NFL begin whittling down their respective rosters ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s deadline, the Dallas Cowboys have made their first handful of moves.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
Cite this Entry
“Whittle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whittle%20down. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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