whit ‧ tle /ˈwɪtl/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: whittle 'large knife' (15-19 centuries) , from thwittle (14-19 centuries) , from thwite 'to whittle' (11-19 centuries) , from Old English thwitan ]
1 . ( 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.