whittle down

Verb

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.
   • Only simple men can see the logic in whatever smarter men can whittle down till you can fit it on a sticker.2015, Mike Cooley, “Made Up English Oceans”, in English Oceans, performed by Drive-By Truckers
   • To Ukraine, it has become an important line to hold, both to whittle down Russia’s forces and to deprive them of a victory.2023 March 30, Carlotta Gall, “Ukrainians in a Hidden Command Post See Bakhmut Going Their Way”, in The New York Times, →ISSN