Whittle Down (Verb)
Meaning
Cut away in small pieces.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The carving class involved whittling down a block of soapstone to create a small figurine.
- Using a sharp knife, she began to whittle down the piece of driftwood until it resembled a walking stick.
- He whittled down a small cedar tree branch to create a homemade bird feeder.
- The artist's fingers moved deftly as she whittled down the chunk of clay to shape her latest sculpture.
- A flathead screwdriver was all he needed to whittle down the dry, rotting wood that had accumulated on the doorframe.