The act of breaking something into small fragments, or of removing fragments from pottery etc.(noun)
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Use "chipping" in a sentence
"It is whether the five Republican appointees on the Court are interested in chipping away at it, or whether they'd prefer to avoid that confrontation with the administration and the Democrats."
"We still have much work to do in chipping away at barriers to development caused by ignorance or lack of awareness."
"In the meantime, the planner suggests that Gonzalez and Cruz increase their mortgage payments so they can begin chipping away at principal, not just interest."