gnaw
verb /nɔː/
/nɔː/
[transitive, intransitive]Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they gnaw | /nɔː/ /nɔː/ |
| he / she / it gnaws | /nɔːz/ /nɔːz/ |
| past simple gnawed | /nɔːd/ /nɔːd/ |
| past participle gnawed | /nɔːd/ /nɔːd/ |
| -ing form gnawing | /ˈnɔːɪŋ/ /ˈnɔːɪŋ/ |
- to keep biting something
- gnaw something The dog was gnawing a bone.
- gnaw through something Rats had gnawed through the cable.
- gnaw at/on something She gnawed at her fingernails.
- gnaw away at/on something (figurative) Self-doubt began to gnaw away at her confidence.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryGnaw is used with these nouns as the subject:- dog
- mouse
- rat
- …
More Like This Silent lettersSilent letters- gnarled
- gnash
- gnat
- gnaw
- gnome
- haute cuisine
- heir
- herb
- honour
- hors d’oeuvre
- hour
- knack
- knee
- kneel
- knife
- knight
- knit
- knob
- knock
- knot
- know
- knuckle
- psalm
- psephology
- psychic
- ptarmigan
- pterodactyl
- psychology
- wrangle
- wrap
- wreath
- wreck
- wrench
- wrestle
- wriggle
- wring
- write
- wrong
- bomb
- climb
- crumb
- doubt
- lamb
- limb
- ascent
- fascinate
- muscle
- scene
- scissors
- height
- right
- sleigh
- weight
- align
- campaign
- design
- foreign
- malign
- reign
- unfeigned
- balmy
- calm
- calf
- half
- yolk
- autumn
- column
- condemn
- damn
- hymn
- solemn
- bristle
- fasten
- listen
- mortgage
- soften
- thistle
- wrestle
- biscuit
- build
- circuit
- disguise
- guilty
- league
- rogue
- vague
- yacht
- answer
- sword
- two
Word OriginOld English gnagen, of Germanic origin; related to German nagen, ultimately imitative.