gnaw
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bite or chew on, especially persistently.
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to wear away or remove by persistent biting or nibbling.
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to form or make by so doing.
to gnaw a hole through the wall.
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to waste or wear away; corrode; erode.
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to trouble or torment by constant annoyance, worry, etc.; vex; plague.
verb (used without object)
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to bite or chew persistently.
The spaniel gnawed happily on a bone.
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to cause corrosion.
The acid gnaws at the metal.
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to cause an effect resembling corrosion.
Her mistake gnawed at her conscience.
verb
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to bite (at) or chew (upon) constantly so as to wear away little by little
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(tr) to form by gnawing
to gnaw a hole
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to cause erosion of (something)
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to cause constant distress or anxiety (to)
noun
Other Word Forms
- gnawable adjective
- gnawer noun
- gnawing adjective
- gnawingly adverb
- outgnaw verb (used with object)
- undergnaw verb (used with object)
- ungnawed adjective
Etymology
Origin of gnaw
before 1000; Middle English gnawen, Old English gnagen; cognate with German nagen, Old Norse gnāga
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And the bars on the side of his crib were made of wood; he gnawed on them while they thought he was sleeping.
From Literature
Artificial intelligence could be the boogeyman that gnaws at market share.
From Barron's
Artificial intelligence could be the boogeyman that gnaws at market share.
From Barron's
By the time the old boneshaker finally took to the road, the empty plastic bag and bottle were at his feet, and he was gnawing the last clam off the stick.
From Literature
Hungry mice then began to gnaw on whatever they could find, often eating young trees that were fighting for their own survival.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
