as in to cut down
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittle (down)
Verb
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Publications that had previously dedicated resources to writing about extremist political movements, like BuzzFeed News, Vice, The Daily Beast, and others, have since cut back or (in BuzzFeed’s case) stopped doing news altogether.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025 -
Thin out old growth by cutting back one-third of the older, thicker gray canes to the ground.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Be forewarned, though, that consumers with lower credit scores may get turned down.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
26 Oct. 2025
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The thermostats in the residence above had been turned down low because of President Jimmy Carter’s energy conservation program, making the East Wing so cold that she was forced to wear long underwear.—
Darlene Superville,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
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“Whittle (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittle%20%28down%29. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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