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Dictionary

whit•tle

Pronunciation: (hwit'l, wit'l), [key]
—v., -tled, -tling,
—n.

—v.t.
1. to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.
2. to form by whittling: to whittle a figure.
3. to cut off (a bit).
4. 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.
1. to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion: to spend an afternoon whittling.
2. to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing.

—n.
Brit. Dial.a knife, esp. a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.