chip away at

Cell microarrays and RNA interference chip away at gene function
Cell biology. Long-term stress may chip away at the ends of chromosomes.
Building 401(k) Wealth One Percent at a Time: Fees Chip Away at People’s Retirement Nest Eggs
China Planning Big Overseas Investments to Chip Away at Mountain of Reserves
Teacher Workshops Chip Away at Economic Illiteracy
Geneticists chip away at unruly data.
Turning Homeowners into Outlaws: How Anti-Home-Sharing Regulations Chip Away at the Foundation of an American Dream
Small Buyers Chip Away at Mountain of Distressed GSE Loans
Trailer manufacturers chip away at weight by using aluminum, composite materials
Does the Medicare payment transparency policy chip away at physician privacy?