Dictionary.com

gnaw

[ naw ]
/ nɔ /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: gnaw / gnawing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), gnawed, gnawed or gnawn, gnaw·ing.
verb (used without object), gnawed, gnawed or gnawn, gnaw·ing.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of gnaw

before 1000; Middle English gnawen,Old English gnagen; cognate with German nagen,Old Norse gnāga

OTHER WORDS FROM gnaw

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gnaw in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gnaw

gnaw
/ (nɔː) /

verb gnaws, gnawing, gnawed, gnawed or gnawn (nɔːn)
(when intr, often foll by at or upon) to bite (at) or chew (upon) constantly so as to wear away little by little
(tr) to form by gnawingto gnaw a hole
to cause erosion of (something)
(when intr, often foll by at) to cause constant distress or anxiety (to)
noun
the act or an instance of gnawing

Derived forms of gnaw

gnawable, adjectivegnawer, noungnawing, adjective, noungnawingly, adverb

Word Origin for gnaw

Old English gnagan; related to Old Norse gnaga, Old High German gnagan
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK