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
Before boarding the cruise ship SS Adventure, where thirty-three America’s Next Top Model hopefuls would be whittled down to thirteen, the contract the show had sent me seemed huge.
—
Sarah Hartshorne
july 9, Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
What was supposed to be a 10-day trip was whittled down to only a couple of days.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
The event, stop No. 8 on the World Tour, comes after a mid-year cut following the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, where the number of competitors was whittled down.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
Before the sport was whittled down, NASCAR had enough automotive brands to fill a Sears-Roebuck catalog.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for whittle down
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Sarah Hartshorne
july 9, Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
What was supposed to be a 10-day trip was whittled down to only a couple of days.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
The event, stop No. 8 on the World Tour, comes after a mid-year cut following the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, where the number of competitors was whittled down.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
Before the sport was whittled down, NASCAR had enough automotive brands to fill a Sears-Roebuck catalog.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 8 June 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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