Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

eat away at

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.00 in modern English

Syllables: eat -away at
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Transitive verb

verb

To consume or use up, erode or wear away gradually.

Transitive verb

verb

To cause to feel uneasy, troubled, worried, guilty, or vexed; to bother about something.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The river is eating away at the river bank."
"The battery acid ate away at the metal until a large hole appeared."
"The expenses ate away at our profits."
"Not confessing that I had stolen the money ate away at me until I could no longer sleep."

Etymology

From eat away + at.

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

eats away at (present, singular) eating away at (participle, present) ate away at (past) eaten away at (participle, past)

Synonyms

devour

Questions

What does eat away at mean?: To erode.
Where does eat away at come from?: From eat away + at.

How to pronounce eat away at

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