To gnaw is to chew on something gently, usually to extract the food that is inside. Gnawing is a type of chewing that is used to break down food.
The dog was gnawing on the bone to get to the marrow.
The rat was gnawing on the wire to get to the food inside.
verb
To bite something persistently, especially something tough.
verb
To produce excessive anxiety or worry.
verb
To corrode; to fret away; to waste.
1
May bookworms gnaw his entrails, in token of the worm which dieth not.
2
However, the issue continues to gnaw at her.
3
The roof leaked and rats gnawed at the cables.
4
As the larvae gnaw on the wood, the holes grow wider and deeper.
5
Soon, mice come along and gnaw through the ropes.
6
The affair proves to gnaw at Bartley's sense of propriety and honor.
7
The porcupine has also been reported to gnaw on carrion and bones.
8
The roof tended to leak, and rats would often gnaw at the cables.
9
Later, he went back to the wolves of the Beyond to become a gnaw wolf.
10
A beetle volunteers to climb up the shotgun barrels to gnaw out the gunshot.