whittling

noun
UK: /ˈwɪtlɪŋ/
US: /ˈwɪtəlɪŋ/

  1. The act of carving small pieces of wood.

    1. He enjoys whittling wood in his free time.
    2. The old man spent hours whittling intricate designs into small pieces of wood.

Synonyms

carving
whittling verb

  1. To carve (wood) with a knife.

    1. He is whittling a toy.
    2. She sat by the fire, whittling a small figure from a block of pine.

  2. To reduce something in size or number gradually.

    1. We are whittling the list.
    2. The company began whittling down its workforce to save money during the recession.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "whittling" is /ˈwɪtlɪŋ/ in British English and /ˈwɪtəlɪŋ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "whittling": carving.

Example usage of "whittling": "He enjoys whittling wood in his free time.". More examples on the page.