gnaw at

phrasal verb

gnawed at; gnawing at; gnaws at

: to be a source of worry or concern to (someone)

This problem has been gnawing at me day and night.

She says she's fine, but I can see that something is gnawing at her.

Examples of gnaw at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their success, coupled with the rise of the far left, which also has anti-immigration stances, has found a way to gnaw at Scholz’s support and has ultimately forced the chancellor to act, especially on migration. —Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024

At first thought, Lewellen says the choice has not been gnawing at him. —Sam Gringlas, NPR, 11 Sep. 2024

Invaded by Russia in 2014, Ukraine has watched its sovereignty being gnawed at during five years of low-level conflict; the prospect of its complete dismemberment looms. —Mira Rapp-Hooper, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2019

Walgreens, like other competitors such as Rite Aid and CVS, is not alone in its efforts to navigate an unfavorable consumer environment that has gnawed at pharmacy margins as shoppers wrestle with pesky inflation. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 5 July 2024