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
Unfortunately, the wasps had already gnawed much of it, but that is not necessarily a bad sign.
—
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
There were gnaw marks on a chocolate bar on the floor, and a bag of peanuts under the hard candy shelf had been gnawed open.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
There came a moment—probably before the husband dragged the child, gnawing on his gloved hand, through attic insulation—when things shifted like a plank laying across a fulcrum, weight placed on one end.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Yet the techno-optimism sweeping the production community is accompanied by a gnawing anxiety about the way established IP is at risk of being ripped off and remixed.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
There were gnaw marks on a chocolate bar on the floor, and a bag of peanuts under the hard candy shelf had been gnawed open.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
There came a moment—probably before the husband dragged the child, gnawing on his gloved hand, through attic insulation—when things shifted like a plank laying across a fulcrum, weight placed on one end.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Yet the techno-optimism sweeping the production community is accompanied by a gnawing anxiety about the way established IP is at risk of being ripped off and remixed.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnaw. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share