whittle
[verb]
Synonyms:
- carve, cut, hew, pare, shape, shave, trim
- whittle down or away: reduce, consume, eat away, erode, wear away

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

whit‧tle /ˈwɪtl/ verb
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: whittle 'large knife' (15-19 centuries), from thwittle (14-19 centuries), from thwite 'to whittle' (11-19 centuries), from Old English thwitan]

1. (also whittle down) [transitive] to gradually make something smaller by taking parts away:
We need to whittle down the list of guests for the party.

2. [intransitive and transitive] to cut a piece of wood into a particular shape by cutting off small pieces with a knife ⇒ carve
whittle away phrasal verb
to gradually reduce the amount or effectiveness of something, especially something that you think should not be reduced
whittle something ↔ away
The museum is worried that government funding will be whittled away.
whittle away at
Congress is whittling away at our freedom of speech.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲