nibble (away) at
phrasal verb
nibbled (away) at; nibbling (away) at; nibbles (away) at
: to make (something) disappear or go away very slowly
Police have been nibbling (away) at crime in the city for years.
Examples of nibble (away) at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Women nibble at gender gap while ethnic gaps increase
The gender gap in pay, which has long been apparent when IEEE-USA conducts salary surveys, shrunk by $7,100 in 2022, though men still significantly out-earn women by an average of $26,800.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2023
Malaysia does some of that kind of work now, and India could nibble away at its market there while doubling down on chip design.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
These structures nibble away at the iron on the ship, potentially causing the entire vessel to essentially disintegrate in the coming years.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 27 June 2023
Some animals can only survive on blood, like the common bedbug, but others complement their diet with other snacks too — many mosquitoes also nibble away at flowers and fruits.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2023
The presence of thorns on citrus trees has evolved for exactly the same reason that animals such as hedgehogs and porcupines sport prickly hides– protection from predators, specifically, hungry animals that want to nibble away at the tender leaves and fruit.
—oregonlive, 6 Aug. 2022
And China is likely to be playing the long game, analysts said, using its gray zone tactics to nibble away at US influence gradually.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 10 June 2022
IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2023
Malaysia does some of that kind of work now, and India could nibble away at its market there while doubling down on chip design.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
These structures nibble away at the iron on the ship, potentially causing the entire vessel to essentially disintegrate in the coming years.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 27 June 2023
Some animals can only survive on blood, like the common bedbug, but others complement their diet with other snacks too — many mosquitoes also nibble away at flowers and fruits.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2023
The presence of thorns on citrus trees has evolved for exactly the same reason that animals such as hedgehogs and porcupines sport prickly hides– protection from predators, specifically, hungry animals that want to nibble away at the tender leaves and fruit.
—oregonlive, 6 Aug. 2022
And China is likely to be playing the long game, analysts said, using its gray zone tactics to nibble away at US influence gradually.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 10 June 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nibble (away) at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nibble (away) at
Cite this Entry
“Nibble (away) at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nibble%20%28away%29%20at. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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