gnaw

[US]/nɔː/
[UK]/nɔː/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

vt. & vi. bite or chew on persistently; cause persistent worry or pain

Phrases & Collocations

gnaw on

gnaw at

gnaw through

Example Sentences

a dog gnawing a bone.

fear that constantly gnawed me.

The dog gnawed at the bone.

Hunger gnawed at the prisoners.

Grief gnaws my heart.

the gnawing pains of hunger

gnaw a hole.See Synonyms at bite

waves gnawing the rocky shore.

the doubts continued to gnaw at me.

Rats have gnawed a hole.

Anxiety gnawed at his heart.

The rat gnawed a hole in the wooden box.

These doubts had been gnawing at him for some time.

He was afflicted always with a gnawing restlessness.

picking up the pig's foot, he gnawed at it.

she had gnawed her fingers to the bone.

Some of the furniture in this old house has been gnawed away by rats.

The farmer’s dog has been gnawing away on a bone under the table.

Real-world Examples

Fawkes the phoenix was gnawing a bit of cuttlebone.

Source: 7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

And at last, one by one, the ropes were all gnawed through.

Source: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Then Disease, for lack of other victims, shall gnaw his own heart and die.

Source: American Original Language Arts Volume 5

Then began both together to gnaw off the tail!

Source: Original Chinese Language Class in American Elementary Schools

I prefer to spend my time eating, gnawing, spying, and hiding.

Source: Charlotte's Web

But I might change my opinion if you don't stop gnawing at that bone.

Source: Hu Min reads stories to remember TOEFL vocabulary.

The first time he woke, he heard Templeton gnawing a hole in the grain bin.

Source: Charlotte's Web

At worst, you might get nipped and gnawed on a little, which is scary enough!

Source: If there is a if.

A pale, death-glimmer lit up Fedallah's sunken eyes; a hideous motion gnawed his mouth.

Source: Moby-Dick

These sharks are going out of their way to gnaw on the metal engine and props.

Source: National Geographic Science Popularization (Video Version)

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