gnaw at
phrasal verb
gnawed at; gnawing at; gnaws at
: to be a source of worry or concern to (someone)
This problem has been gnawing at me day and night.
She says she's fine, but I can see that something is gnawing at her.
Examples of gnaw at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The anxiety gnawing at Europe and the West can be alleviated only by offering ethnic majorities a future in which their identities—their myths of ancestry, communal consciousness, and traditions—persist as majority (or at least plurality) elements of society.
—
Eric Kaufmann, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2018
Island life is energetically rendered, and there’s an appreciation for details too — from the splinters on the giant tree an industrial beaver (Matt Berry) gnaws at daily to the fine hairs on cantankerous grizzly bear Thorn (Mark Hamill).
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
Their success, coupled with the rise of the far left, which also has anti-immigration stances, has found a way to gnaw at Scholz’s support and has ultimately forced the chancellor to act, especially on migration.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024
At first thought, Lewellen says the choice has not been gnawing at him.
—Sam Gringlas, NPR, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gnaw at 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Eric Kaufmann, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2018
Island life is energetically rendered, and there’s an appreciation for details too — from the splinters on the giant tree an industrial beaver (Matt Berry) gnaws at daily to the fine hairs on cantankerous grizzly bear Thorn (Mark Hamill).
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
Their success, coupled with the rise of the far left, which also has anti-immigration stances, has found a way to gnaw at Scholz’s support and has ultimately forced the chancellor to act, especially on migration.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024
At first thought, Lewellen says the choice has not been gnawing at him.
—Sam Gringlas, NPR, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gnaw at
Dictionary Entries Near gnaw at
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnaw%20at. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share