What does "whittle away" mean?

To gradually reduce or spend time To pass time slowly.

How do you use "whittle away" in a sentence?

They whittled away the afternoon. She whittled away the hours. We whittled away the time chatting.

whittle away

Phrasal Verb BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★☆☆ Moderate Neutral

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Meaning: To gradually reduce or spend time

消磨时光，逐渐减少

Pasar el tiempo, reducir gradualmente

時間をのんびり過ごす、少しずつ削る

느긋하게 시간을 보내다, 조금씩 줄이다

To pass time slowly.

慢慢地、通常是悠闲地打发时间。也指随着时间推移逐渐减少某物。意象来自削木头，一点点削掉小片来塑形。

Pasar el tiempo lentamente, a menudo ociosamente. También significa reducir algo gradualmente con el tiempo. La imagen viene de tallar madera, dándole forma poco a poco cortando pequeños trozos.

時間をゆっくりと、しばしばのんびりと過ごす。木を削るイメージから来ており、小さな削りを重ねて形を整えていく様子を表す。

천천히 시간을 보내다.

Base verb: whittle

Particle: away

Separable: Yes — the object can go between the verb and particle

Examples

They whittled away the afternoon.
他们悠闲地度过了下午
Pasaron la tarde tranquilamente
彼らは午後をのんびり過ごした
그들은 오후를 느긋하게 보냈다
She whittled away the hours.
她慢慢消磨了几个小时
Ella pasó las horas sin prisa
彼女は何時間もゆっくり過ごした
그녀는 몇 시간을 여유롭게 보냈다
We whittled away the time chatting.
我们聊天打发时间
Pasamos el tiempo charlando
私たちはおしゃべりして時間を過ごした
우리는 수다를 떨며 시간을 보냈다

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: time, gradual, spending

Tone: relaxed

✓ Do Say

Whittle away
逐渐减少
Ir reduciendo poco a poco
少しずつ削る
조금씩 줄이다

Origin & History

From slowly carving wood.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal