whittle down
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle down
Meanings
Gradually reduce by removing pieces
Why “down”? You move from the whole thing to the smaller parts, so you can understand it.
“They whittled down the list to ten finalists.”
“The panel whittled down the names to five.”
Test yourself
“They whittled down the list to ten finalists.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
boil down
Same down pattern: into parts
Reduce to the essential point
break down
Same down pattern: into parts
(of a vehicle or machine) stop working; Lose emotional control and start crying; Separate something into smaller parts to understand it; (of negotiations or relationships) fail or end; Force a door open by hitting it; Decompose into simpler chemical substances
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