gnawed; gnawing; gnaws
1
a
: to bite or chew on with the teeth
especially
: to wear away by persistent biting or nibbling
a dog gnawing a bone
b
: to make by gnawing
rats gnawed a hole
2
a
: to be a source of vexation to : plague
anxiety always gnawing him
b
: to affect like gnawing
hunger gnawing her vitals
1
: to bite or nibble persistently
gnawing at his underlip
2
: to produce an effect of or as if of gnawing
waves gnawing away at the cliffs
Examples of gnaw in a Sentence
The dog was gnawing a bone.
He nervously gnawed on his fingernails.
Rabbits have gnawed at the hedge.
Rabbits had gnawed a hole in the hedge.
Recent Examples on the Web
The frustrating situation gnawed on staff’s confidence and morale.
—
Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2024
Harbaugh in plaid, gnawing on some gum, nodding and beaming in the back.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 6 Feb. 2024
Annie Wilkes is one helluva character, all scenery gnawing with glints of pathos.
—Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
Rather than critique this state of affairs from a distance, Kate gives us an idiosyncratic woman chasing that conventional artifice to its extreme — and, upon realizing that she’s caught in a trap, gnawing through her own leg to escape.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, disaffection with the war is continuing to gnaw away at the Russian leadership and the Russian people, beneath the thick surface of state propaganda and repression.
—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
Inflation has overtaken any interest rate offered by a bank, while depreciation also has gnawed away at people’s savings.
—Nasser Karimi, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024
That Fangio never tried remains one of the gnawing regrets of last season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2024
Farmers who spotted grizzlies gnawing on the occasional carcass probably took the incidents as confirmation of the bears’ bloodlust, Alagona said—and, eventually, as justification for exterminating them.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2024
Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2024
Harbaugh in plaid, gnawing on some gum, nodding and beaming in the back.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 6 Feb. 2024
Annie Wilkes is one helluva character, all scenery gnawing with glints of pathos.
—Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
Rather than critique this state of affairs from a distance, Kate gives us an idiosyncratic woman chasing that conventional artifice to its extreme — and, upon realizing that she’s caught in a trap, gnawing through her own leg to escape.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, disaffection with the war is continuing to gnaw away at the Russian leadership and the Russian people, beneath the thick surface of state propaganda and repression.
—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
Inflation has overtaken any interest rate offered by a bank, while depreciation also has gnawed away at people’s savings.
—Nasser Karimi, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024
That Fangio never tried remains one of the gnawing regrets of last season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2024
Farmers who spotted grizzlies gnawing on the occasional carcass probably took the incidents as confirmation of the bears’ bloodlust, Alagona said—and, eventually, as justification for exterminating them.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gnaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near gnaw
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnaw. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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