gnawverb [ I + prep, T ]
uk/nɔː/us/nɑː/gnaw verb [ I + prep, T ] (BITE)
to bite or chew something repeatedly, usually making a hole in it or gradually destroying it:
Babies like to gnaw hard objects when they're teething.
A dog lay under the table, gnawing on a bone.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Biting, chewing & swallowing
- bite
- champ
- chew
- chomp
- crunch
- dunk
- lick
- masticate
- mastication
- munch
- nibble
- peck
- peck at sth
- rumination
- suck
gnaw verb [ I + prep, T ] (FEEL WORRIED)
to make you feel worried or uncomfortable:
I've been gnawed by guilt about not replying to her letter yet.
The feeling that I've forgotten something has been gnawing at me all day.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Making people sad, shocked and upset
- aback
- amiss
- appal
- be laughing on the other side of your face idiom
- bite
- burn
- hit/touch a (raw) nerve idiom
- horrify
- hurt sb's feelings idiom
- hurtful
- it'll (all) end in tears idiom
- laugh
- mess
- nose
- shake
- tear sb apart
- tear sb's heart out idiom
- torture
- traumatize
- twist/turn the knife (in the wound) idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Causing anxiety and worry
Phrasal verb(s)
gnaw away at sth