as in to chew
to crush or grind with the teeth
please don't gnaw on that steak bone—it's very unseemly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnaw (on)
chew
Verb
-
This moment sticks in the mind, the intimacy of a family in which a present for the mother becomes a treat for the child, whose chewed and discarded food is finished by the father.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025 -
Plenty to chew through for you there, but that’s not all from the Deadline team at SXSW London this week.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Gnaw (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnaw%20%28on%29. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share