/ nɔː; NAmE / verb
gnaw (away) (at / on sth) to keep biting sth or chewing it hard, so that it gradually disappears :
[ vn ]
The dog was gnawing a bone.
[ v ]
Rats had gnawed through the cable
She gnawed at her fingernails.
( figurative )
Self-doubt began to gnaw away at her confidence.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- gnaw at sb
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English gnagen , of Germanic origin; related to German nagen , ultimately imitative.