whittle away
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To slowly make something smaller and smaller, a little bit at a time.
Literal meaning: To shave thin pieces off wood with a knife repeatedly, slowly reducing its size.
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
neutral
To reduce something gradually through repeated small actions or over a long period of time.
"Years of mismanagement had whittled away the company's once impressive cash reserves."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
neutral
To undermine or slowly destroy something abstract such as trust, rights, or power.
"The new laws have been steadily whittling away at our privacy rights."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Often used in negative contexts — whittling away savings, rights, or confidence. The subject is frequently abstract (time, debt, competition). Common in journalistic and analytical writing.
Commonly used with
savings lead rights confidence time resources
Forms
Base
whittle away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
whittles away
he/she/it
Past simple
whittled away
yesterday
Past participle
whittled away
have + pp
-ing form
whittling away
continuous
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Synonyms
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