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 lettersWord OriginOld English gnagen, of Germanic origin; related to German nagen, ultimately imitative.Want to learn more?
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gnaw