whittle
verb /ˈwɪtl/
/ˈwɪtl/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they whittle | /ˈwɪtl/ /ˈwɪtl/ |
| he / she / it whittles | /ˈwɪtlz/ /ˈwɪtlz/ |
| past simple whittled | /ˈwɪtld/ /ˈwɪtld/ |
| past participle whittled | /ˈwɪtld/ /ˈwɪtld/ |
| -ing form whittling | /ˈwɪtlɪŋ/ /ˈwɪtlɪŋ/ |
- to form a piece of wood, etc. into a particular shape by cutting small pieces from it
- whittle A (from B) He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood.
- whittle B (into A) He whittled the piece of wood into a simple toy.
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from dialect whittle ‘knife’.