whittle

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Crafts

whit·tle /ˈwɪtl/ verb  1  REDUCE (also whittle down) [transitive] to gradually make something smaller by taking parts away 逐步减少，削弱；缩减 We need to whittle down the list of guests for the party. 我们需要缩减聚会的客人名单。2. TICCUT[intransitive, transitive] to cut a piece of wood into a particular shape by cutting off small pieces with a knife 削(木头) → carve3 whittle away phrasal verb REDUCEto gradually reduce the amount or effectiveness of something, especially something that you think should not be reduced 削减，减少whittle something ↔ away The museum is worried that government funding will be whittled away. 博物馆担心政府拨款将会被削减。 at Congress is whittling away at our freedom of speech. 国会正在逐步剥夺我们的言论自由。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

whittle• He took out his penknife and began whittling a piece of wood.• The village was, as she had thought, a dump, where time was whittled away in some vintage manner.• Visitors can even whittle away time at the airport's 143 shops and 23 eateries while awaiting flights.• The list of candidates has been whittled down from 61 to 12.• Many of the recent suggestions for change have sought to whittle down that authority.• This is good because it allows you to whittle down those superior numbers.• That whittled the field down from the white pages of the Paris phone book.• Red and Roy whittle the lead back down to nine.Origin whittle (1500-1600) whittle “large knife” ((15-19 centuries)), from thwittle ((14-19 centuries)), from thwite “to whittle” ((11-19 centuries)), from Old English thwitan

whit·tle verbChineseSyllable  

Corpus smaller by to make gradually something

whittle
whit‧tle /ˈwɪtl/ verb1. (also whittle down) [transitive] to gradually make something smaller by taking parts away:
    We need to whittle down the list of guests for the party.
2. [intransitive and transitive] to cut a piece of wood into a particular shape by cutting off small pieces with a knife ⇨ carve
     
whittle away phrasal verb
  to gradually reduce the amount or effectiveness of something, especially something that you think should not be reduced
    whittle something ↔ away
    The museum is worried that government funding will be whittled away.
    whittle away at
    Congress is whittling away at our freedom of speech.

whit·tleBrE /ˈwɪtl/ 🔊NAmE /ˈwɪtl/ 🔊 verbpresent simple - I / you / we / they whittle BrE /ˈwɪtl/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwɪtl/ 🔊present simple - he / she / it whittles BrE /ˈwɪtlz/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwɪtlz/ 🔊past simple whittled BrE /ˈwɪtld/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwɪtld/ 🔊past participle whittled BrE /ˈwɪtld/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwɪtld/ 🔊 -ing form whittling BrE /ˈwɪtlɪŋ/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwɪtlɪŋ/ 🔊to form a piece of wood, etc. into a particular shape by cutting small pieces from it 把（木头等）削成…◆~ A (from B) He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood. 他把那块木头削成了一个简易的玩具。🔊🔊◆~ B (into A) He whittled the piece of wood into a simple toy. 他把那块木头削成了一个简易的玩具。🔊🔊 ●ˌwhittle sth↔aˈwayto make sth gradually decrease in value or amount 削减，减少，降低（…的价值或数量）●ˌwhittle sth↔ˈdownto reduce the size or number of sth 减少，缩减（…的大小或数目）◆I finally managed to whittle down the names on the list to only five. 我最后总算把名单上的名字减少到了只有五个。🔊🔊