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
Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local Rite Aid drugstore after discovering roughly 140 rodent droppings, gnaw marks and other evidence of a vermin infestation.
—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
updated July 11, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2025
Long-suffering Chicago Bulls fans might have felt a gnawing feeling during the NBA Draft Lottery.
—Darnell Mayberry, New York Times, 13 May 2025
What begins as a quiet sense of disconnection can spiral into a gnawing belief that something is wrong.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
That morning, Elissa couldn’t avoid a gnawing feeling in her gut because the MRI results hadn’t posted to her patient portal.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 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.
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
updated July 11, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2025
Long-suffering Chicago Bulls fans might have felt a gnawing feeling during the NBA Draft Lottery.
—Darnell Mayberry, New York Times, 13 May 2025
What begins as a quiet sense of disconnection can spiral into a gnawing belief that something is wrong.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
That morning, Elissa couldn’t avoid a gnawing feeling in her gut because the MRI results hadn’t posted to her patient portal.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 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 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share