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gnaw

UK:^*^*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈnɔː/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/nɔ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(nô)

Inflections of 'gnaw' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

gnaws: v 3rd person singular

gnawing: v pres p

gnawed: v past

gnawed: v past p

gnaw /nɔ/USA pronunciation v., gnawed, gnawed or gnawn, gnaw•ing.

to bite or chew on, esp. for a long time without stopping: [~ + object]The dog gnawed the bone.[no object]The dog gnawed at the bone.
to wear away or remove by biting for a long time:[~ + object]The mice gnawed the paint off the walls.
to form or make by biting or chewing for a long time:[~ + object]to gnaw a hole.
to trouble;
vex;
plague:[~ + at]Her mistake gnawed at her conscience.

gnaw (nô),USA pronunciation v., gnawed, gnawed or gnawn, gnaw•ing.
v.t.

to bite or chew on, esp. persistently.
to wear away or remove by persistent biting or nibbling.
to form or make by so doing:to gnaw a hole through the wall.
to waste or wear away;
corrode;
erode.
to trouble or torment by constant annoyance, worry, etc.;
vex;
plague.

v.i.

to bite or chew persistently:The spaniel gnawed happily on a bone.
to cause corrosion:The acid gnaws at the metal.
to cause an effect resembling corrosion:Her mistake gnawed at her conscience.

bef. 1000; Middle English gnawen, Old English gnagen; cognate with German nagen, Old Norse gnāga

gnaw′a•ble, adj.
gnaw′er, n.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

gnaw /nɔː/ vb (gnaws, gnawing, gnawed, gnawed, gnawn /nɔːn/)

when intr, often followed by at or upon: to bite (at) or chew (upon) constantly so as to wear away little by little
(transitive) to form by gnawing: to gnaw a hole
to cause erosion of (something)
when intr, often followed by at: to cause constant distress or anxiety (to)

the act or an instance of gnawing

Etymology: Old English gnagan; related to Old Norse gnaga, Old High German gnaganˈgnawing adj , n

'gnaw' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

champ - corrode - erode - gangrene - nag - rodent - rostrum - trogon - worry - bite - fret - gnawing - gnawn - nosh - outgnaw or - Rodentia - trout - sarcoptic mange

In Lists: Words with a silent "g", Mat9e19's List 1, Series, more...

Synonyms: chew, eat away at, nibble away at, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "gnaw" in the title:

bite or gnaw one's tongue
Gnaw off vs gnaw
gnaw or gnaw at
gnaw or gnaw on
reality gnaw

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⇱ gnaw - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

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