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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024whit•tle /ˈhwɪtəl, ˈwɪtəl/USA pronunciation v., -tled, -tling. - to cut, trim, or shape (wood) by carving off bits with a knife: [~ + object]to whittle wood.[no object]sat whittling with his brand-new knife.
- to form by whittling:[~ + object]to whittle a toy soldier from a block of wood.
- to reduce the amount of gradually: [~ + object]to whittle costs.[~ + down + object]to whittle down expenses.
whit•tler, n. [countable] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024whit•tle (hwit′l, wit′l),USA pronunciation v., -tled, -tling, n. v.t. - to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.
- to form by whittling:to whittle a figure.
- to cut off (a bit).
- to reduce the amount of, as if by whittling;
pare down;
take away by degrees (usually fol. by down, away, etc.):to whittle down the company's overhead; to whittle away one's inheritance.
v.i. - to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion:to spend an afternoon whittling.
- to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing.
n. - British Termsa knife, esp. a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.
- late Middle English (noun, nominal), dialect, dialectal variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt(an) to cut + -el -le 1375–1425
Whit•tle (hwit′l, wit′l),USA pronunciation n. - Biographical Sir Frank, born 1907, English engineer and inventor.
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