eat away at
phrasal verbeat away at somebody
- to worry somebody over a period of time
- The thought of her child left helpless and alone ate away at her.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
eat away at something
- to reduce or destroy something gradually
- Woodworm had eaten away at the door frame.
- His constant criticism ate away at her self-confidence.