to whittle

Examples

• All

• If he works at it, he could whittle through the tree in a couple of days, easy.

  Fiction book (1991)

• We'll sit around the fire, whittle sticks... and talk about a girl who traded Broadway for Park Avenue.

  Dancing Lady (1933)

• Hey, I could whittle something.

  Magic (1978)

• I liked to listen to their talk, whittle on a stick, and watch them.

  Fiction book (1999)

• Emanuel urged the president to whittle down the bill into small pieces that could pass through Congress.

  Blog text (7)

• And I like to whittle walking sticks from basswood.

  Fiction book (1994)

• And you'd take a pocketknife and whittle it away down to the center so that the white wood inside would show.

  Fiction book (1994)

• He's had Internet access for years, and online legal resources have enabled him to whittle his law library down to a few shelves of books and some CD-ROMs.

  Academic text (2001)

• He decided to whittle a piece of wood into a small animal for his daughter.

• After lunch, I will sit outside and whittle a stick while enjoying the sunshine.

Synonyms

C

to cut

vsto whittle

∞ 1.0

To divide something using a sharp tool, often into pieces

focuses on removing many tiny shavings to shape wood precisely with a knife

C

to carve

vsto whittle

272 2.1

Cut shapes and patterns into wood, stone and other hard materials

removes smaller surface shavings for fine shaping rather than larger removals

S

to slice

vsto whittle

203 1.0

To cut something into thin flat pieces with a knife

removes small curled shavings rather than making flat even pieces

S

to shave

vsto whittle

25 1.9

Cut very thin slices from things like cheese or wood

removes tiny curled shavings to shape wood usually using a small knife

C

to chisel

vsto whittle

19 5.1

To shape wood or stone using a flat metal blade

uses fine knife cuts to remove tiny shavings rather than heavy chopping

H

to hew

vsto whittle

8 7.9

To cut or shape wood with a heavy sharp tool like an axe

uses small precise knife cuts to shape wood rather than broad chopping

P

to pare

vsto whittle

3 4.8

To cut away the thin outer layer or the edges of things like fruit and wood

removes small curled pieces for shaping rather than simply trimming edges

W

to whittle away

vsto whittle

3 5.9

To make something smaller gradually by cutting or wearing it away

refers to making small carved shavings to shape material not to gradual reduction

H

to hew out

vsto whittle

7.3

Cut a piece of wood or stone into a shape with a tool like an axe

removes small curled shavings with delicate knife work instead of heavy tools

Antonyms

B

to build

∞ 1.0

To make something by joining parts or materials

A

to add

∞ 1.0

Include something extra to make something larger or better

Phrasal Verbs

W

to whittle down

10 5.1

To make a list or group smaller by removing items over time

W

to whittle away

3 5.9

To make something smaller gradually by cutting or wearing it away

W

to whittle away

• Informal

6.8

To pass time slowly in a relaxed way doing pleasant simple things

How Much

to sculpt

57 4.3

to carve

272 2.1

to pare

3 4.8

to whittle

13 6.2

to shave

25 1.9

to nick

33 3.5

Surface Forms

Etymology