gnash

American  

[nash] / næʃ /

verb (used with object)

• gnashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gnashed,
  past participle,  past
• gnashing
  present participle

1. to grind or strike (the teeth) together, especially in rage or pain.

2. to bite with grinding teeth.

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verb (used without object)

• gnashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gnashed,
  past participle,  past
• gnashing
  present participle

1. to gnash the teeth.

noun

1. an act of gnashing.

gnash British  

/ næʃ /

verb

1. to grind (the teeth) together, as in pain or anger

2. (tr) to bite or chew as by grinding the teeth

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noun

1. the act of gnashing the teeth

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gnashingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• gnashing
  present
• gnashed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• gnash
  simple
• gnashes
  simple
• have gnashed
  perfect
• has gnashed
  perfect
• am gnashing
  progressive
• are gnashing
  progressive
• is gnashing
  progressive
• have been gnashing
  perfect progressive
• has been gnashing
  perfect progressive

Past

• gnashed
  simple
• had gnashed
  perfect
• was gnashing
  progressive
• were gnashing
  progressive
• had been gnashing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will gnash
  simple
• will have gnashed
  perfect
• will be gnashing
  progressive
• will have been gnashing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of gnash

1490–1500; variant of obsolete gnast, Middle English gnasten; compare Old Norse gnastan gnashing of teeth

Explanation

To gnash is to rub or grind your teeth together. A suspicious guard dog might growl and gnash its teeth. When you angrily grit your teeth, you can say you gnash them. People almost always gnash their teeth from anger or frustration, or in a display of ferocity. A terrible ogre in a fairy tale might gnash his teeth, and your furious school bus driver might gnash her teeth at the ruckus her passengers are making. Gnash is a Middle English variation on gnasten, "grind the teeth together," from Old Norse gnasta, "gnash the teeth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gnash gnashes gnashed gnashing

I don’t know about you, but I gnash my teeth every time I hear someone has accused a fat celebrity, model or influencer of “glorifying obesity” for simply being happy and living their life publicly.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2023

“I hate him. I hate him so much it makes me gnash my teeth,” she said in the interview.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 20, 2021

He says his daughters have seen him gnash his teeth when he talks about his father, but they also have heard him speak lovingly of the man who taught him compassion and other virtues.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 14, 2018

And fans of the books have four new reasons to gnash their teeth: HBO has announced four Game of Thrones spin-off TV shows, all with Martin’s involvement.

From The Guardian ● May 12, 2017

She wanted to scream, to gnash her teeth and tear her clothes and beat upon the floor.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

The veritable pity party gnashes its teeth more and more as the months pass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025

The great matador gnashes his teeth while the señoritas throw flowers and jewels at the doctor’s feet.

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2020

“He’s not a brooder, not someone who wrings his hands and gnashes his teeth,” Axelrod said.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2013

"Ancelotti clung to the wrong lifeboat, the same one as usual – Torres – and the pair of them sank together," gnashes the Gazzetta before gushing over United.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 13, 2011

He gapes at the vacant air, He shouts, and he yells, and gnashes his teeth, And dances in wild despair.

From Japanese Literature Including Selections from Genji Monogatari and Classical Poetry and Drama of Japan by Epiphanius Wilson

It requires gnashed teeth and squinting between fingers that cover your eyes.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 14, 2022

The mask came off, the gnashed teeth of the Hulk gone, a face of these Tokyo Olympics revealed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2021

Journalists at CNN gnashed their teeth at missed opportunities to show off their toughness and knowledge if they’d been in his place asking questions of premiers or presidents.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 23, 2021

After I wailed and gnashed my teeth last week about the unavailability of dried yeast, it was suggested by some that I get into baking sourdough.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 8, 2020

A day ago we’d have given up our teeth for a good rain, and now we gnashed them in frustration over the deluge.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Finding the thick edge of another £5bn from existing budgets could prompt plenty more backbench gnashing of teeth.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

After all the gnashing riffs, Lauryn Hill sang a snatch of “Nothing Even Matters,” her tender 1998 duet with D’Angelo, the neo-soul savant who died in October.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

The first felt too cold and couldn’t hack how to modernize Morfydd Clark’s Ophelia; the second started strong but got soggy with its repetitive weeping and gnashing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025

“While it would be nice if the Fed could fix everything on its own, it probably can’t, at least not without causing a great deal of weeping and gnashing of teeth,” said Channel.

From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2024

The golden monkey was gnashing his teeth, and all his shimmering fur was standing on end.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman