A chisel is a hand tool with a flat, sharp metal blade used for carving or cutting hard materials like wood, stone, or metal. The blade has a beveled edge that concentrates force at a precise point. To use a chisel, you position the sharp edge where you want to cut, then strike the back of the handle with a mallet or hammer, driving the blade into the material.

Woodworkers use chisels to carve details, cut joints, and shape furniture. Stone sculptors use heavier chisels to transform blocks of marble into statues. When Michelangelo created his famous statue of David, he spent years carefully chiseling away marble to reveal the figure hidden inside the stone.

You might also hear someone described as having chiseled features, meaning their face has sharp, well-defined angles, as if carefully carved by a sculptor.

As a verb, chisel means to cut or shape something using a chisel.