as in to erode
to consume or wear away gradually
time has gnawed that author's reputation to the point where he rates little more than a footnote
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Recent Examples of gnaw
Despite receiving several reports this spring about a family with an absent mother and gnawing hunger, the DCFS never opened a case — even after another school counselor called the hotline on May 13 to say that Williams’ mother had kicked him out of the house.
—
Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
In the ancient world and the new Hope’s the same for moth and monarch: hazy
Instrument of flight armies gnaw and gnash, leaving the dead
Uncovered like a girl ablaze
A century ago, crying for help, coveting just a drop of water.
—Paul Tran, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Whannell opts to go the practical route, using prosthetics and other on-camera devices to simulate Blake’s agonizing mutation, but errs on the side of realism, with its infected father sweating up a storm before gnawing his arm with those sharp new canines of his.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025
If anything, the scene where Blake starts to gnaw his own arm off is the most relatable part of the movie.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
In the ancient world and the new Hope’s the same for moth and monarch: hazy
Instrument of flight armies gnaw and gnash, leaving the dead
Uncovered like a girl ablaze
A century ago, crying for help, coveting just a drop of water.
—Paul Tran, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Whannell opts to go the practical route, using prosthetics and other on-camera devices to simulate Blake’s agonizing mutation, but errs on the side of realism, with its infected father sweating up a storm before gnawing his arm with those sharp new canines of his.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025
If anything, the scene where Blake starts to gnaw his own arm off is the most relatable part of the movie.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gnaw
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Cite this Entry
“Gnaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnaw. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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