whittle

¹

[hwit-l, wit-l]

verb (used with object)

whittled, whittling 

1. to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.

2. to form by whittling.

   to whittle a figure.

3. to cut off (a bit).

4. to reduce the amount of, as if by whittling; pare down; take away by degrees (usually followed by down, away, etc.).

   to whittle down the company's overhead; to whittle away one's inheritance.

verb (used without object)

whittled, whittling 

1. to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion.

   to spend an afternoon whittling.

2. to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing.

noun

1. British Dialect.,  a knife, especially a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.

Whittle

²

[hwit-l, wit-l]

noun

1. Sir Frank, 1907–96, English engineer and inventor.

whittle

¹

/ ˈwɪtəl /

verb

1. to cut or shave strips or pieces from (wood, a stick, etc), esp with a knife

2. (tr) to make or shape by paring or shaving

3. (tr; often foll by away, down, off, etc) to reduce, destroy, or wear away gradually

4. dialect,  (intr) to complain or worry about something continually

noun

1. dialect,  a knife, esp a large one

Whittle

²

/ ˈwɪtəl /

noun

1. Sir Frank. 1907–96, English engineer, who invented the jet engine for aircraft; flew first British jet aircraft (1941)

Whittle

1. British aeronautical engineer and inventor who developed the first aircraft engine powered by jet propulsion in 1937.

Other Word Forms

• whittler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of whittle¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), dialectal variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt ( an ) to cut + -el -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of whittle¹

C16: variant of C15 thwittle large knife, from Old English thwitel, from thwītan to cut; related to Old Norse thveitr cut, thveita to beat

Example Sentences

City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, who oversees labor negotiations at City Hall, said the money freed up by the agreements whittled the number of remaining layoffs to 75.

From Los Angeles Times

As far as its evolution, I was glad to see the podcast group, with its overbearing members, whittled away — though we had to deal with Che for another season.

From Los Angeles Times

Roberts rode that group into the second quarter, and they eventually whittled the deficit.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the past six episodes, they have been whittled down and challenged by some of the biggest names in the game through a series of tasks staged at iconic football locations.

From BBC

Titanic estates have dotted L.A. over the last century, but most have been whittled down by developers subdividing the lots and selling them as separate properties.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• diminish 
• erode 
• lessen 
• pare 
• shave 
• trim