gnaw
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to bite or chew on, especially persistently.
-
to wear away or remove by persistent biting or nibbling.
-
to form or make by so doing.
to gnaw a hole through the wall.
-
to waste or wear away; corrode; erode.
-
to trouble or torment by constant annoyance, worry, etc.; vex; plague.
verb (used without object)
-
to bite or chew persistently.
The spaniel gnawed happily on a bone.
-
to cause corrosion.
The acid gnaws at the metal.
-
to cause an effect resembling corrosion.
Her mistake gnawed at her conscience.
verb
-
to bite (at) or chew (upon) constantly so as to wear away little by little
-
(tr) to form by gnawing
to gnaw a hole
-
to cause erosion of (something)
-
to cause constant distress or anxiety (to)
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gnaw
before 1000; Middle English gnawen, Old English gnagen; cognate with German nagen, Old Norse gnāga
Explanation
To gnaw is to bite or chew. Your favorite food might be corn on the cob, because you love to gnaw along each row of kernels. To gnaw also means to deteriorate or wear away as if by gnawing with the teeth. In Arches National Park, the weather has gnawed away at the rocks creating beautiful formations like arches, bridges, and balanced rocks. In this sense, to gnaw can be used even more figuratively. Something might gnaw at the back of your mind — something you were supposed to do, although now you can't quite remember what it was.
Vocabulary lists containing gnaw
The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 1: Telling Details
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Where the Red Fern Grows
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Outside, beavers gnaw at the vegetation around the chilly waters.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2024
While beetles gnaw away and burrow through the phloem under the trees' bark, the much smaller, flightless adelgid sucks out the trees' fluids and leaves behind a toxic saliva.
From Science Daily • May 14, 2024
And those spectacular surface catacombs and arches will collapse to leave extensive areas of submerged ice that will then rise up under their own buoyancy to gnaw away at the berg's edges.
From BBC • Jan. 15, 2024
Only this time, instead of letting the anxiety gnaw at her confidence, she accepted its presence, took a deep breath, and put on the kind of show that is hers and hers alone.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2023
The four of us exchange worried glances, and guilt begins to gnaw the pit of my stomach.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
