gnaw

verb

gnawed; gnawing; gnaws

transitive verb

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
3

intransitive verb

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
gnawer noun

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 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 Get the name of the dog In promotional materials, the SPCA has acknowledged a gnawing inconsistency: The puppy’s name is not Bark Purdy anymore. Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2024 But the compromise with the right-wing Republicans had gnawed away most of the carrot and made the stick much bigger, even including snippets of many longstanding far-right stances on immigration. Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2024 Sullivan, who worked with Soderbergh on two seasons of The Knick, before a long stint on This Is Us, deftly shows Chris’ tenderness toward his fragile daughter and his loyalty, even if it’s tested, but also his gnawing exasperation with family frictions. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2024 Abbott wears Danny easily and at the requisite scale — his thick accent, his hair trigger, his gnawing befuddlement and vulnerability. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2023 Just the rat-a-tat of three Caterpillar excavators gnawing through concrete signaled the beginning of the largest dam removal project in the history of the country, and perhaps the world. Melina Mara, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023

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.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gnawen, from Old English gnagan; akin to Old High German gnagan to gnaw

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gnaw was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gnaw

Cite this Entry

“Gnaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnaw. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gnaw

verb
1
a
: to bite or chew with the teeth
especially : to wear away by repeated biting or nibbling
dog gnawing a bone
b
: to make by gnawing
rats gnawed a hole
2
a
: annoy, irritate
worry gnawed at me day and night
b
: to affect like gnawing
gnawing hunger
gnawer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on gnaw

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