whi
ttle
Third Person
whittles
Present Participle
whittling
Past Tense
whittled
Past Participle
whittled
1
to carve or shape small pieces from a material, usually wood, using a knife or similar tool
transitive
- The grandfather whittled a small figurine from a block of wood.
- He whittled a pointed stick for roasting marshmallows over the fire.
- The camper whittled a makeshift spoon for cooking in the wilderness.
- Using a pocket knife, she carefully whittled the branch into the shape of a spoon.
- The craftsman whittled the block of wood into a miniature horse, adding intricate details as he went.
Synonyms:
2
to gradually reduce something in size or number
transitive
- To save space, she decides to whittle her collection of ornaments.
- While studying, she whittled her notes into a concise summary.
- The team will whittle the project timeline to meet the deadline.