gnaw
gnaw — verb
- gnawpresent simple I / you / we / they
- gnawshe / she / it
- gnawedpast simple
- gnawing-ing form
1. to bite repeatedly at something hard, often making a hole or wearing it down lit
to bite repeatedly at something hard, often making a hole or wearing it down little by little
The puppy gnawed on Daichi's new leather shoe until it had three large holes.
gnaw on [object]
Ayesha watched the squirrel gnaw a walnut shell open on the garden wall.
Mice had gnawed through the electrical wires in the basement ceiling.
Isabela sat by the fireplace, gnawing the last bits of meat from a chicken bone.
The beaver gnawed steadily at the birch trunk until it crashed into the river.
文法句型
gnaw + object
gnaw + at/on + noun
gnaw + through + noun
gnaw + noun + adjective
用法筆記
Object is typically hard (bone, wood, wire). For quick or nervous biting, 'bite' or 'nibble' is more natural.
常見錯誤
2. to cause a feeling of worry that stays in the mind and is difficult to get rid o
to cause a feeling of worry that stays in the mind and is difficult to get rid of
The cruel joke Aaron had made about his brother's stutter gnawed at him for weeks after the party.
gnaw at [person] for emotional distress
A feeling of guilt gnawed at Noa every time she walked past the empty house.
Waiting for the biopsy results gnawed at Eliska until she could barely keep food down.
Doubt gnawed at Karim as he stared at the resignation letter on his desk.
Worry over her father's surgery gnawed at Ayesha as she tried and failed to read a magazine.
文法句型
gnaw + at + person
用法筆記
Subject is usually an abstract noun (guilt, doubt, jealousy, worry). Always followed by 'at' when the object is a person. Distinguish from sense 1 (BITE REPEATEDLY): this sense describes a mental or emotional experience, never a physical action.