chisel

plural chisels

1. A cutting tool used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by pushing or pounding the back when the sharp edge is against the material. It consists of a slim, oblong block of metal with a sharp wedge or bevel formed on one end and sometimes a handle at the other end; there are hand tool versions (the original type) and versions as bits for power tools.
2. A part of any of various tools or devices that has an analogous purpose, cutting raw material or a workpiece during the process that the tool or device performs.
   1. A part of some ploughs, next to the ploughshare, that helps cut into the soil and deal with obstructions such as rocks, roots, and stems.

      Holonyms: plough, plow < implement

present singular third person chisels · US participle present chiseling · UK participle present chiselling · US participle past chiseled · US past chiseled · UK participle past chiselled · UK past chiselled

1. intransitiveTo use a chisel.

   Synonyms: chip

2. transitiveTo work something with a chisel.

   She chiselled a sculpture out of the block of wood.

   Synonyms: chip

3. datedtransitiveTo barge in on (something); to intrude on (something).
4. figurativelytransitiveTo make small changes to (something), bit by bit, resulting in change over time.

   Laws that protect the environment are being chiseled away.

   Synonyms: chip away

5. ambitransitiveinformalTo beg or pressure somebody into giving up (something); to haggle excessively; to cheat; to obtain something from (someone) by cheating.

   She's always either chiseling or groveling, it seems.

   2 more examples

   He's managed to chisel a couple dollars from somewhere.

   She can always chisel whatever she needs from her father.

plural chisels · alternative chesil · alternative chissel · alternative chessil

1. uncountableusuallyGravel.
2. plural normallyuncountableusuallyCoarse flour; bran; the coarser part of bran or flour.