Definitions

chipping

VERB

knock a piece out of

Synonyms

STRONGEST

chop crack hack nick splinter whack

STRONG

break chisel clip crumble damage flake fragment gash hackle hew incise notch shape shear slash slice sliver snick snip split whittle

WEAK

crack off cut away cut off

Antonyms

STRONGEST

fix mend

STRONG

build combine increase join put together

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

chipping

His pubs have previously missed out on government business rates support, and "the increases were so huge last year that now we're sort of chipping away at some of those increases".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

“If you start chipping away at it and preventing people from doing something as simple as speaking in a public park, in this case about yoga, you create a dangerous precedent.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Beatty’s lyrics are filled with strong images and evocative phrases — the paint chipping off a “white picket dream” in the new album’s “Fleur de Lis,” for instance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

“When I’m saying diversifying, that is chipping away at it year over year.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

Gillian and Shriya had been chipping away at me ever since Ethan and I had broken up the year before.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely