gnaw at
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
Furthermore, four of the woman’s long bones (both humeri, the left ulna, and the left femur) showed marks that had previously been identified as tooth marks, suggesting rodents had gnawed at the bones.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 June 2026
For several weeks lately something has been gnawing at the rinds of the lemons on the outer branches of our lemon tree.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 25 May 2026
Back at 7Pie, a question gnawed at Jedidia.
—Mirin Fader, New York Times, 21 May 2026
While Callaghan successfully transitioned to the more traditional newscast-style Channel 5, the loss of AGNB’s esoteric style and specific storytelling seemed to gnaw at him.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gnaw at
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Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 June 2026
For several weeks lately something has been gnawing at the rinds of the lemons on the outer branches of our lemon tree.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 25 May 2026
Back at 7Pie, a question gnawed at Jedidia.
—Mirin Fader, New York Times, 21 May 2026
While Callaghan successfully transitioned to the more traditional newscast-style Channel 5, the loss of AGNB’s esoteric style and specific storytelling seemed to gnaw at him.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gnaw at
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnaw%20at. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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