Meaning & use
chisel
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Meanings
nouncountable
A hand tool with a flat, sharp steel edge that you push or hit to cut or carve wood, stone, or metal.
Grammar: Often paired with a hammer or mallet: a chisel and mallet.
Patterns
- a chisel and mallet
- a wood chisel
He tapped the chisel gently with a wooden mallet.
The sculptor sharpened her chisel before starting the face.
A wide chisel is best for cleaning out the joint.
verbtransitive
To cut, shape, or carve something using a chisel.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with into or out of: chisel a name into stone.
Patterns
- chisel something into something
- chisel something out of something
- chisel away at something
Workers chiseled the date into the stone arch.
She chiseled a small bird out of the soft block.
He chiseled away the old plaster from the wall.
verbtransitiveinformalold-fashioned
To cheat someone or get something from them by unfair or dishonest means, especially money.
Grammar: Takes an object and often out of: chisel someone out of money.
Patterns
- chisel someone out of something
- chisel something out of someone
The dealer chiseled him out of twenty dollars.
They tried to chisel the old man out of his savings.
She felt chiseled when the repair bill doubled.
Word forms
| third person singular | chisels |
|---|---|
| past tense | chiseled (British: chiselled) |
| past participle | chiseled (British: chiselled) |
| -ing form | chiseling (British: chiselling) |
| plural | chisels |
Common combinations
- sharp chisel
- A sharp chisel makes clean cuts in oak.
- chisel into stone
- The names were chiseled into stone above the door.
- chisel and hammer
- He worked slowly with a chisel and hammer.
- chiseled features
- The actor was known for his chiseled features.
- chisel someone out of money
- The con artist chiseled several people out of money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- carve
- Carve is broader and covers any cutting to make a shape, while chisel names one specific tool.
- gouge
- A gouge has a curved blade for scooping hollows, whereas a chisel has a flat edge.
- cheat
- Cheat is the general word for dishonesty and is more neutral than the old-fashioned slang sense of chisel.
- swindle
- Swindle suggests a larger, planned fraud, while chiseling sounds like small-scale shabby dealing.
Word family
Practice
The carpenter used a sharp ___ to clean out the groove in the board.
Choose one answer.
A chisel cuts away small amounts of wood from a groove. A saw cuts through a board, and a brush and rope are not cutting tools.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chisel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.