What does "whittle away" mean?

To gradually reduce time available When time slowly disappears due to activities.

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

Admin tasks whittle away my day. Commuting whittles away precious hours. Social media whittles away your time.

Phrasal Verb BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★☆☆ Moderate Neutral

Meaning: To gradually reduce time available

逐渐消耗可用时间

Reducir gradualmente el tiempo disponible

使える時間を少しずつ減らす

시간을 조금씩 깎아먹다

When time slowly disappears due to activities.

由于各种活动，时间慢慢消失。

Cuando el tiempo desaparece lentamente por las actividades.

活動によって時間がゆっくり消えていくこと。

여러 활동들로 인해 사용할 수 있는 시간이 조금씩 줄어드는 것을 말한다.

Base verb: whittle

Particle: away

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

Admin tasks whittle away my day.
行政事务慢慢蚕食了我一天的时间
Las tareas administrativas me comen el día
事務作業で一日が削られていく
사무 업무가 하루를 조금씩 깎아먹는다.
Commuting whittles away precious hours.
通勤慢慢消耗了宝贵的时间
Los desplazamientos se comen horas valiosas
通勤で貴重な時間が削られる
통근으로 소중한 시간이 깎여 나간다.
Social media whittles away your time.
社交媒体一点点地消磨你的时间
Las redes sociales te van comiendo el tiempo
SNSで時間がどんどん減っていく
SNS가 시간을 점점 갉아먹는다.

Context: waste, gradual, loss

Tone: reflective

From carving wood gradually.

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal