as in to erode
to consume or wear away gradually
time has gnawed that author's reputation to the point where he rates little more than a footnote
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Recent Examples of gnaw
Police found the infant unresponsive and said she had been gnawed in the face by the family puppy, a pit bull–German shepherd mix.
—
Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
Decayed objects gnaw, toys bleed sawdust, and the White Rabbit—stitched-up and glassy-eyed—wields a pair of scissors like a surgical instrument.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
Often, a vehicle won’t start or fails to operate properly because mice have gnawed through wires in the engine compartment.
—Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Only 18 months after the collision, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which makes his left side uncoordinated and gnaws away at his memory.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
Decayed objects gnaw, toys bleed sawdust, and the White Rabbit—stitched-up and glassy-eyed—wields a pair of scissors like a surgical instrument.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
Often, a vehicle won’t start or fails to operate properly because mice have gnawed through wires in the engine compartment.
—Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Only 18 months after the collision, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which makes his left side uncoordinated and gnaws away at his memory.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnaw
Verb
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The persistent issue of greenwashing, where investments are promoted as sustainable without verifiable environmental benefits, has eroded trust and slowed market development.—
Edoardo Francesco Sabatino,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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Maryland’s coastlines are eroding at an alarming rate.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
5 June 2025
Verb
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The successful hatchings come about a year after Scout ate two of his chicks as a first-time dad, leaving the pair with no surviving eaglets from their first nesting season, McClatchy News previously reported.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2025
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The calls came while eating lunch, while lying in bed at night.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnaw. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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