Word · Frequency #18676
whittle
削；削木头
to cut or shape wood by cutting small pieces off it
- 1.
To cut or shape wood with a knife.
用刀削木头或将其削成形状。
- 2.
To reduce or gradually eliminate something (such as a debt).
减少或逐渐消除某物(如债务)。
- 3.
cut small bits or pare shavings from
削小块或刮削
- 4.
To make eager or excited; to excite with liquor; to inebriate.
使渴望或兴奋；用酒使兴奋；使醉。
削减；削弱；用刀削木头或将其削成形状。；减少或逐渐消除某物(如债务)。；削小块或刮削；使渴望或兴奋；用酒使兴奋；使醉。
In use
The endless delays have whittled my patience down to almost nothing.
The long climb whittled away our energy.
Let's whittle the shopping list down to the essentials.
whittle a piece of wood
whittle something down (to something)
whittle down 表示逐步减少或缩小范围，常与 to 连用，强调最终结果。
The committee whittled the list down to five candidates.
委员会把名单缩减到只剩下五名候选人。
whittle away at something
whittle away at 强调一点一点地削弱或消耗，宾语多为抽象事物，如信心、耐心、储蓄。
Constant noise whittles away at your ability to concentrate.
持续的噪音会不断削弱你集中注意力的能力。
Connections
Collocations
- whittle away
- 逐渐削减；不断削弱
- The pressure of work whittled away his enthusiasm.工作的压力逐渐消磨了他的热情。
- whittle down
- 逐步减少；压缩
- We need to whittle down the list of candidates.我们需要逐步减少候选人名单。
- whittle a stick
- 削一根木棍
- He sat on the porch whittling a stick.他坐在门廊上削一根木棍。
- whittle a piece of wood
- 削一块木头
- She whittled a piece of wood into a small bird.她把一块木头削成了一只小鸟。
Idioms & figurative uses
- whittle away
- 逐渐削减；慢慢消耗The constant criticism whittled away her confidence.不断的批评逐渐削弱了她的信心。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
用小刀把木头削成小(little)块，whittle里藏着little，削着削着就变少。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：新闻报道、政策讨论、商务分析 此处取“逐步削减、削弱”义项。该用法通常见于正式或书面语境，例如新闻报道、政策讨论和商务分析；常见搭配为 whittle down/away，表示逐步、持续地减少。口语中也可说，但多用于抽象事物。
Pronunciation & Spelling
这几个词都与 whittle 的 /ˈwɪtəl/ 韵脚相同，且拼写中都含 "ittle"：little、brittle、skittle。注意 whittle 与 whistle /ˈwɪsəl/ 拼写相近但读音不同（whistle 以 /səl/ 结尾）。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.