NIBBLE

[verb] - to eat (something) by taking a lot of small bitesWe ought to have some peanuts to nibble while the party warms up. [T]I don't really feel like having a proper meal, but I wouldn't mind something to nibble (on/at). [T; I + preposition]A mouse has nibbled through the cables that link our computers together. [I]Jenny's hamster's nibbled a hole in the sofa. [T]She nibbled (= bit gently and repeatedly) his ear. [T](figurative) Even when inflation is low, it nibbles away at (= slowly reduces) people's savings, reducing their value considerably over several years. [I](figurative) Investors started to nibble at (= buy small amounts of) the company's shares after the new contract was announced. [I]