If you whittle something from a piece of wood, you carve it by cutting pieces off the wood with a knife.
例句
He whittled a new handle for his ax...他給斧頭削了一個新把手。Chitty sat in his rocking-chair whittling wood.奇蒂坐在搖椅上削著木頭。
英漢詞典釋義
vt.
削減，減少，降低(…的大小、重要性或價值)
Inflation has been whittling away their savings.通貨膨脹使他們的積蓄不斷減少。Our lead (= in a sports competition, for example) was being gradually whittled away.我們的領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢在逐漸削弱。
逐漸減少，逐漸縮減(…的大小或數(shù)目)
The government’s majority has been whittled down to eight.政府多數(shù)票減少到了八票。He is whittling down the branch with a knife to make a handle for his hoe.他在用刀削樹枝做一把鋤頭柄。