whittle down

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English

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Verb

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whittle down (third-person singular simple present whittles down, present participle whittling down, simple past and past participle whittled down)

  1. (transitive) To reduce gradually by removing pieces.
    • 2023 March 30, Carlotta Gall, “Ukrainians in a Hidden Command Post See Bakhmut Going Their Way”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
      To Ukraine, it has become an important line to hold, both to whittle down Russia’s forces and to deprive them of a victory.

Derived terms

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Further reading

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