gnaw
gnaw — 動詞
- 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
啃咬
持續咬啃硬物，常造成破損
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.
小狗啃咬 Daichi 的新皮鞋，直到咬出三個大洞。
gnaw on [object]
Ayesha watched the squirrel gnaw a walnut shell open on the garden wall.
Ayesha 看著松鼠在花園牆上把核桃殼啃開。
Mice had gnawed through the electrical wires in the basement ceiling.
老鼠啃穿了地下室天花板上的電線。
Isabela sat by the fireplace, gnawing the last bits of meat from a chicken bone.
Isabela 坐在壁爐旁，啃著雞骨頭上最後的肉屑。
The beaver gnawed steadily at the birch trunk until it crashed into the river.
河狸不停地啃咬樺樹樹幹，直到樹幹倒進河裡。
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
折磨；困擾
持續帶來心理上的憂慮不安
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.
派對過後好幾週，Aaron 仍為自己嘲笑弟弟口吃的那句殘酷玩笑而備受折磨。
gnaw at [person] for emotional distress
A feeling of guilt gnawed at Noa every time she walked past the empty house.
每次經過那間空房子，罪惡感便困擾著 Noa。
Waiting for the biopsy results gnawed at Eliska until she could barely keep food down.
等待切片檢查結果讓 Eliska 備受折磨，幾乎食不下嚥。
Doubt gnawed at Karim as he stared at the resignation letter on his desk.
Karim 盯著桌上的辭職信，疑惑不斷折磨著他。
Worry over her father's surgery gnawed at Ayesha as she tried and failed to read a magazine.
對父親手術的憂慮折磨著 Ayesha，她試著看雜誌卻完全讀不進去。
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.