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 dog bit and gnawed on Bates’ scalp, the lawsuit alleges, and ignored Bates’ and Rezentes’ attempts to halt the attack.
—
Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
When they are allowed to thrive in large populations, termites have an incredible capacity to gnaw through huge amounts of vegetation in no time.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
There are some more intense visuals here than others on this list, including someone vomiting bugs, a toothless old woman gnawing on a face, and, as the title suggests, a demon dragging people to hell.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Outfielders are the most frequent chompers, but even players in the much-busier infield will sometimes spit out a shell in the middle of the action, or gnaw on a toothpick.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gnaw 
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Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
When they are allowed to thrive in large populations, termites have an incredible capacity to gnaw through huge amounts of vegetation in no time.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
There are some more intense visuals here than others on this list, including someone vomiting bugs, a toothless old woman gnawing on a face, and, as the title suggests, a demon dragging people to hell.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Outfielders are the most frequent chompers, but even players in the much-busier infield will sometimes spit out a shell in the middle of the action, or gnaw on a toothpick.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gnaw
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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 28 Nov. 2024.
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