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gnaw
[ naw ]
verb (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.
gnaw
/ nɔː /
verb
- whenintr, 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 gnawing
to gnaw a hole
- to cause erosion of (something)
- whenintr, often foll by at to cause constant distress or anxiety (to)
noun
- the act or an instance of gnawing
Derived Forms
- ˈgnawer, noun
- ˈgnawing, adjectivenoun
- ˈgnawingly, adverb
- ˈgnawable, adjective
Other Words From
- gnawa·ble adjective
- gnawer noun
- outgnaw verb (used with object) outgnawed outgnawed or outgnawn outgnawing
- under·gnaw verb (used with object)
- un·gnawed adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of gnaw1
Word History and Origins
Origin of gnaw1
Example Sentences
For many dogs, gnawing on things seems to help distract them.
These are the kinds of questions that have gnawed at me throughout my 25 years in the tech industry.
What he’d “lost” by not hanging on as South Sea shares approached £1,000 gnawed at him.
The rodents gnaw down trees to create lodges and dams, and dig channels for transporting their logs to the dams.
I think we’ve been greatly underplaying the chronic, gnawing anxiety we’ve had to keep at bay to function.
In the end, the ethical implications of using a drug to pull statements from otherwise unwilling people began to gnaw.
Stanley Crouch on why there are so many predators “looking for some high-profile black female meat to give the gnaw.”
For three generations it's been a sort of a gnaw-bone, to be dug up and chewed on when there's nothing else.
Then she lay down again, chuckling softly as she did when the mouse escaped, even though it was to gnaw her cheese.
I began to gnaw it and play with it, and when Ned called out, "fetch it," I dropped it and ran toward him.
I know I am only the mouse, but I could gnaw through very strong cords.
The animals stand in a group, and the mules gnaw at the frozen dung of former visitors.
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