Lexic.us

Definition of Gnaw at

1. Verb. Become ground down or deteriorate. "Her confidence eroded"

Lexicographical Neighbors of Gnaw At

Literary usage of Gnaw at

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir (1921)
"Such cases as Hottentot go-go "to look at carefully" (from go "to see"), Somali fen- fen "to gnaw at on all sides" (from fen "to gnaw at"), Chinook iwi iwi ..."

2. Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir (1921)
"Such cases as Hottentot go-go "to look at carefully" (from go "to see"), Somali fen- fen "to gnaw at on all sides" (from fen "to gnaw at"), Chinook iwi iwi ..."

3. The Measure of a Man by Charles Brodie Patterson (1907)
"love, know your own bone ; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw at it again." Follow the bent of your energies and inclinations; form your purpose, ..."

4. The American Journal of Psychology by Granville Stanley Hall, Edward Bradford Titchener (1920)
"While the rats gnaw at his cords the steel pendulum sweeps nearer and nearer, its sharp blade cutting the air just above him. It touches his garments, ..."

Other Resources: