gnaw (at or on)

verb

Definition of gnaw (at or on)next
as in to nibble (on)

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnaw (at or on)
  1. chew
  2. lick
Verb
  • Walker wore his Cardinals hat backward, chewed a big wad of bubble gum and reveled afterward in flashing his imitation Liberty Bell bling, the champions chain presented by Ryan Howard.
    — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
  • The results showed that chewing sugar-containing gum after beetroot juice made saliva more acidic than chewing sugar-free gum did.
    — Jennifer Klump, Verywell Health, 17 July 2026
Definition of chew
Verb
  • As flames licked at the fabric and smoke curled toward the ceiling, an overcapacity crowd of more than 1,800 panicked, rushing for the exits and jamming against doors that opened inward.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
  • Signs paws have already been burned include limping, refusing to walk, licking or chewing feet, darker or damaged pads and visible blisters or redness.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
Definition of lick
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

gnaw (at)
gnaw (at or on)
gnawed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gnaw (at or on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnaw%20%28at%20or%20on%29. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All