gnaw at

verb

gnawed at; gnawing at; gnaws at

: to be a source of worry or concern to (someone)

This problem has been gnawing at me day and night.

She says she's fine, but I can see that something is gnawing at her.

Examples of gnaw at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What will gnaw at Boyd more than the home runs will be the preceding plate appearances before the first and third home runs. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026

Something other than the notification is gnawing at your ability to focus. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The defeat will hurt and gnaw at Seixas — a scarcely believable fact for the youngest rider to finish in the top 10 for over a century. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Meanwhile, the case gnawed at former Syracuse detective Paul Clapper. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026

Rhymes for gnaw at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat