whittle

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.

He must whittle that number down to 26 as England accelerate planning for their opening World Cup game against Croatia on 17 June in Arlington, Texas.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

That hasn’t deterred the U.S., which has been flying more than 10 MQ-9 orbits over Iran at a time as the American commanders push to stop Tehran’s ballistic-missile launches and whittle down other offensive capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

They played cards, cooked by the fire and learned how to whittle.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

When you work on other aspects of your 2025 taxes, you may whittle your income down enough to qualify.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

Maybe it’s time to whittle down the “people I’m avoiding” list.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon