whittle
(redirected from whittled)Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
whit·tle
(wĭt′l, hwĭt′l)v. whit·tled, whit·tling, whit·tles
v.tr.
1.
a. To cut small bits or pare shavings from (a piece of wood).
b. To fashion or shape in this way: whittle a toy boat.
2. To reduce or eliminate gradually: whittled down the debt by making small payments.
v.intr.
To cut or shape wood with a knife.
[From Middle English whyttel, knife, variant of thwitel, from thwiten, to whittle, from Old English thwītan, to strike, whittle down.]
whit′tler n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
whittle
(ˈwɪtəl)vb
1. (Forestry) to cut or shave strips or pieces from (wood, a stick, etc), esp with a knife
2. (Forestry) (tr) to make or shape by paring or shaving
3. (tr; often foll by away, down, off, etc) to reduce, destroy, or wear away gradually
4. dialect (intr) Northern English to complain or worry about something continually
n
(Tools) dialect Brit a knife, esp a large one
[C16: variant of C15 thwittle large knife, from Old English thwitel, from thwītan to cut; related to Old Norse thveitr cut, thveita to beat]
ˈwhittler n
Whittle
(ˈwɪtəl)n
(Biography) Sir Frank. 1907–96, English engineer, who invented the jet engine for aircraft; flew first British jet aircraft (1941)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
whit•tle
(ˈʰwɪt l, ˈwɪt l)v. -tled, -tling,
n. v.t.
1. to cut, trim, or shape (a piece of wood or the like) by carving off bits with a knife.
2. to form by whittling.
3. to cut off (a bit).
4. to reduce the amount of gradually (usu. fol. by down, away, etc.): to whittle away an inheritance.
v.i. 5. to whittle wood or the like with a knife.
6. to tire oneself or another by worrying.
n. 7. Archaic. a large knife.
[1375–1425; late Middle English (n.), dial. variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt(an) to cut]
Whit•tle
(ˈʰwɪt l, ˈwɪt l)n.
Sir Frank, 1907–96, English engineer and inventor.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
whittle
Past participle: whittled
Gerund: whittling
| Imperative |
|---|
| whittle |
| whittle |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | Whittle - English aeronautical engineer who invented the jet aircraft engine (1907-1996) |
| Verb | 1. |  whittle - cut small bits or pare shavings from; "whittle a piece of wood"cut - separate with or as if with an instrument; "Cut the rope" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
whittle
verb carve, cut, hew, shape, trim, shave, pare Chitty sat in his rocking chair whittling a piece of wood.
whittle something away undermine, reduce, destroy, consume, erode, eat away, wear away I believe the Government's aim is to whittle away the Welfare State.
whittle something or someone down reduce, cut down, cut, decrease, prune, scale down He had whittled the twenty interviewees down to two.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
whittle
[ˈwɪtl] VT [+ wood, shape] → tallar (con cuchillo)whittle away
A. VT + ADV (= reduce) [+ savings, amount] → ir reduciendo
our sovereignty is gradually being whittled away → poco a poco está mermando nuestra soberanía
our sovereignty is gradually being whittled away → poco a poco está mermando nuestra soberanía
whittle down VT + ADV [+ workforce, amount] → reducir
the short-list has been whittled down to three → hemos reducido el número de candidatos preseleccionados a tres
the short-list has been whittled down to three → hemos reducido el número de candidatos preseleccionados a tres
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
whittle
(ˈwitl) verb to cut or shape (eg a stick) with a knife. tallar
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.