gnaw at
phrasal 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
This is doubly true of the ending, which brings to the fore undeniable symmetry, but also a consideration that kept gnawing at me throughout the film: why is cinema so keen on exploring female sexuality primarily through abjection?
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Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Thankfully, Cronenberg is less interested in taking potshots at his vapid characters (played by the game likes of Julianne Moore, John Cusack, and Evan Bird channeling Shia LaBeouf) than in unearthing the sadness and madness that gnaws at their superficial dreams.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
But what Grier did not say that day in January has gnawed at me for months.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
The filmmaker recalls how the distance from the sea and the seeming impossibility of return gnawed at her mother’s spirit.
Yalla Parkour works well when Zuaiter lets the two narratives — her mother’s and Matar’s — speak for themselves.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Thankfully, Cronenberg is less interested in taking potshots at his vapid characters (played by the game likes of Julianne Moore, John Cusack, and Evan Bird channeling Shia LaBeouf) than in unearthing the sadness and madness that gnaws at their superficial dreams.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
But what Grier did not say that day in January has gnawed at me for months.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
The filmmaker recalls how the distance from the sea and the seeming impossibility of return gnawed at her mother’s spirit.
Yalla Parkour works well when Zuaiter lets the two narratives — her mother’s and Matar’s — speak for themselves.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for gnaw at
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnaw%20at. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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