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
Despite all of this, Musa felt a gnawing emptiness in his life.
—
David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
By highlighting Eunice’s role as a parent, Salles pushes viewers toward considering the mundanity of living under a dictatorship—and the gnawing nightmare of lacking control in the face of obvious evil.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2025
During the pandemic, the soaring cost of essentials like food, fuel and rent only deepened the country's widespread precarity — a gnawing sense of financial insecurity that has left tens of millions of Americans vulnerable to job losses, medical problems and even modest economic dips.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 Jan. 2025
As Chubb’s career became defined by injuries, this move became a gnawing pain for Broncos Country, if not Elway.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
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David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
By highlighting Eunice’s role as a parent, Salles pushes viewers toward considering the mundanity of living under a dictatorship—and the gnawing nightmare of lacking control in the face of obvious evil.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2025
During the pandemic, the soaring cost of essentials like food, fuel and rent only deepened the country's widespread precarity — a gnawing sense of financial insecurity that has left tens of millions of Americans vulnerable to job losses, medical problems and even modest economic dips.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 Jan. 2025
As Chubb’s career became defined by injuries, this move became a gnawing pain for Broncos Country, if not Elway.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
Articles Related to gnaw
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnaw. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
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