whittle sth down
— phrasal verb with whittle /ˈwɪt.l̩/
/ˈwɪt̬-/ verb [T] Definition
› to gradually reduce the size of something or the number of people in a group: We had 80 applicants for the job, but we've whittled them down to six.Becoming and making smaller or lessBecoming and making less strong
(Definition of whittle sth down from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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You are looking at an entry to do with Becoming and making smaller or less, but you might be interested in these topics from the Size and quantity topic area:
- Also, extra, and in addition
- Augmenting and supplementing
- Available and accessible
- Becoming bigger
- Big and quite big
- Enlarging and inflating
- Enormous
- Enough
- Extremely small
- General words for size and amount
- Increasing and intensifying
- Large in number or quantity
- Masses and large amounts of things
- Maximum and minimum
- Medium-sized
- Merely and barely
- Plenty and abundant
- Scarce, inadequate and not enough
- Small
- Small in number and quantity
- Some and quite
- Someone, anyone, no one or everyone
- Something, anything, nothing, and everything
- Things collected in lines or rings
- Things remaining
- Too much and unnecessary
- Unavailable and inaccessible
- Unlimited
- Words meaning small pieces and amounts
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Synonyms and related words:
- a nip (here) and a tuck (there) idiom
- absorb verb (TAKE IN)
- attenuate verb
- axe verb
- bite into sth phrasal verb
- boil sth down phrasal verb
- compress verb
- contraction noun (REDUCTION)
- let sth down phrasal verb (AIR)
- let-up noun
- lower verb (REDUCE)
- make a hole in sth idiom
- miniaturization noun
- scale sth down phrasal verb
- shave sth off sth phrasal verb
- shrivel verb
- slash verb
- slim sth down phrasal verb
- slip verb (VALUE)
- telescope verb
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