gnaw

CEFRC1

/nɔː/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To bite something repeatedly, slowly wearing it away.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To corrode; to fret away; to waste.

Examples

  • Concern had started to gnaw at his insides.

  • My dog likes to gnaw on bones.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
2

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To produce excessive anxiety or worry.

  2. To bite something persistently, especially something tough.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. The act of gnawing.

More examples

In context

  • Her comment gnawed at me all day and I couldn't think about anything else.

  • The dog gnawed the bone until it broke in two.

  • Don't gnaw your nails!

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The hungry rat began to blank through the wooden floor to reach food.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English gnawen, gnaȝen, from Old English gnagan, from Proto-West Germanic *gnagan, from Proto-Germanic *gnaganą (“to gnaw”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *gʰnēgʰ- (“to gnaw, scratch”). Cognate with Dutch knagen, German nagen, Danish gnave (“to gnaw”), Norwegian Bokmål gnage, Norwegian Nynorsk gnaga, Swedish gnaga.