whittling

[ hwit-ling, wit- ]

noun

1. the act of a person who whittles.
2. Often whittlings. a bit or chip whittled off.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whittling¹

First recorded in 1605–15; whittle + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Since September, Conservative MPs have been whittling down the candidate list in a series of votes.

From BBC

In March, McAfee dropped six charges in the indictment, including three against Trump, citing a lack of sufficient details, whittling down the original 13-count case against Trump.

From Salon

"From wild swimming in the lake to whittling wood into magic wands, dancing to headliners Rick Astley, McFly, Faithless and Paloma Faith to surprise hit of the festival Dogshow and eating the finest BBQ outside of Texas, it’s been a vintage year at Camp Bestival Shropshire."

From BBC

After a day of whittling down the jury pool, four of the final 12 jurors serving on the trial know someone who has struggled with addiction.

From BBC

I had such a hard time whittling this playlist down to 11 tracks, though, that I’ve included 10 more recommendations in the Bonus Tracks, if you’re wondering where to go next.

From New York Times