Gnaw Definition
nô
gnawed, gnawing, gnawn, gnaws
verb
gnawed, gnawing, gnaws
To cut, bite, and wear away bit by bit with the teeth.
Webster's New World
To make by gnawing.
To gnaw a hole.
Webster's New World
To produce a biting, consuming, corroding, eroding, tormenting, etc. effect.
Waves gnawed away at the shore; guilt gnawed at his conscience.
Webster's New World
To erode or diminish gradually as if by gnawing.
Waves gnawing the rocky shore.
American Heritage
To bite repeatedly.
Webster's New World
Origin of Gnaw
-
From Old English gnagan, from Proto-Germanic *gnaganą. Cognate with Dutch knagen, German nagen, Swedish gnaga.
From Wiktionary
Middle English gnauen from Old English gnagan
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to gnaw using the buttons below.