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
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
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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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.
Within a year, he headlined music festivals including Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Osheaga, as well as his own festival Camp Flog Gnaw.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2025
While performing at Tyler, the Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Glover opened up about the reason he had to cancel his tour not long after it began in 2024.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025
Flog Gnaw is known for its eclectic booking and a carnival-like atmosphere complete with games, rides and funnel cakes.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
On Saturday, he will make his return to Camp Flog Gnaw alongside 2 Chainz and Larry June.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025
Gnaw, gnaw, gnaw incessantly, till he once more angrily struck at the wall, when the noise ceased.
From Mad A Story of Dust and Ashes by Fenn, George Manville
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.
