gnaw

verb \ ˈnȯ \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: gnaw in a Sentence

Definition of gnaw

gnawed; gnawing; gnaws

transitive verb

1 a : to bite or chew on with the teeth; especially : to wear away by persistent biting or nibbling

a dog gnawing a bone

b : to make by gnawing

rats gnawed a hole

2 a : to be a source of vexation to : plague

anxiety always gnawing him

b : to affect like gnawing

hunger gnawing her vitals

3 : erode, corrode

intransitive verb

1 : to bite or nibble persistently

gnawing at his underlip

2 : to produce an effect of or as if of gnawing

waves gnawing away at the cliffs

—

gnawer

play \ˈnȯ(-ə)r\ noun

See gnaw defined for English-language learners

See gnaw defined for kids

Examples of gnaw in a Sentence

The dog was gnawing a bone.
He nervously gnawed on his fingernails.
Rabbits have gnawed at the hedge.
Rabbits had gnawed a hole in the hedge.

Recent Examples of gnaw from the Web

But something else gnawed at Kennedy that night besides his lukewarm performance and poor prospects.

— david margolick, Time, "The Mysterious Woman Who Could Answer a Key Question About RFK's Legacy—If Only We Could Find Her," 5 June 2018
But swooning shares have gnawed away at its gains and complicated its ability to cash out.

— ryan dezember, WSJ, "Behind a Hedge Fund’s Billion-Dollar Bet On Busted Oil Companies," 20 May 2018
Looming over the study was a gnawing question: Given the effort that went into making workers’ schedules more consistent from day to day and week to week, why wasn’t there more improvement in the actual scheduling?

— noam scheiber, New York Times, "A Find at Gap: Steady Hours Can Help Workers, and Profits," 28 Mar. 2018
Even if a hole doesn't start out that large, the rodents can gnaw their way to make the opening larger.

— beth kaufman, Good Housekeeping, "How to Get Rid of Mice — And Keep Them Away for Good," 23 May 2018
And yet pregnant women still gnaw on crackers in secret for months rather than tell others why they are nauseated.

— theresa vargas, Washington Post, "For Mother’s Day, a remembrance of my almost daughter.," 11 May 2018
The roof rat will gnaw on the ripe fruit, opening a 2-3 inch hole in the rind.

— michael harrelson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Keep it clean to spare citrus from rats," 12 Apr. 2018
All joking aside, the defense might be the best in the SEC, especially considering the unit will be driven all summer by those gnawing, unpleasant memories of the SEC Championship game.

— joseph goodman, AL.com, "Time is now for QB Jarrett Stidham to be leader Auburn needs," 3 May 2018
Bevins acknowledges such gnawing uncertainties, but downplays their relevance in his case.

— bob sylva, sacbee, "1988: The desperate search for the East Area Rapist costs millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours | The Sacramento Bee," 25 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gnaw.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gnaw

Middle English gnawen, from Old English gnagan; akin to Old High German gnagan to gnaw

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

gnaw Synonyms

Synonyms

bite (at), corrode, eat, erode, fret, nibble;

Near Antonyms

freshen, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, restore, revitalize, revive;

decimate, destroy, devastate, ruin, waste, wreck;

GNAW Defined for English Language Learners

gnaw

verb

Definition of gnaw for English Language Learners

: to bite or chew (something) repeatedly
: to make (a hole in something) by chewing

GNAW Defined for Kids

gnaw

verb \ ˈnȯ \

Definition of gnaw for Students

gnawed; gnawing

: to bite so as to wear away : bite or chew upon

The dog gnawed a bone.

Learn More about gnaw

See words that rhyme with gnaw Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gnaw Spanish Central: Translation of gnaw Nglish: Translation of gnaw for Spanish speakers

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gnaw

Definition of gnaw

gnawer

Examples of gnaw in a Sentence

Recent Examples of gnaw from the Web

Origin and Etymology of gnaw

gnaw Synonyms

Synonyms

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GNAW Defined for English Language Learners

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