nibble away at

nibble away at
phrasal verb [transitive]
Word forms "nibble away at":
present tense I/you/we/they nibble away at he/she/it nibbles away at present participle nibbling away at past tense nibbled away at past participle nibbled away at
nibble away at something to reduce the total amount of something by gradually using small amounts of it

Beware of hidden costs that can nibble away at your budget.


English dictionary. 2014.

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  • nibble away at — ˌnibble a ˈway at [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they nibble away at he/she/it nibbles away at present participle nibbling away at past tense nibbled away at …   Useful english dictionary

  • nibble away — v. (D; intr.) to nibble away at * * * (D; intr.) to nibble away at …   Combinatory dictionary

  • nibble away at something — ˌnibble aˈway at sth derived to take away small amounts of sth, so that the total amount is gradually reduced Syn: ↑erode • Inflation is nibbling away at spending power. Main entry: ↑nibblederived …   Useful english dictionary

  • nibble at — nibble (away) at [phrasal verb] nibble (away) at (something) : to make (something) disappear or go away very slowly Police have been nibbling (away) at crime in the city for years. [=police have been very slowly reducing the amount of crime in… …   Useful english dictionary

  • nibble — nib|ble1 [ˈnıbəl] v [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: Perhaps from Low German nibbeln to chew bits off ] 1.) [I and T] to eat small amounts of food by taking very small bites ▪ He nibbled the biscuit cautiously. nibble at ▪ There s a fish nibbling at my… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • nibble — [[t]nɪ̱b(ə)l[/t]] nibbles, nibbling, nibbled 1) VERB If you nibble food, you eat it by biting very small pieces of it, for example because you are not very hungry. [V n] He started to nibble his biscuit... [V at/on n] She nibbled at the corner of …   English dictionary

  • nibble — /nib euhl/, v., nibbled, nibbling, n. v.i. 1. to bite off small bits. 2. to eat or chew in small bites: Give him a graham cracker to nibble on. 3. to bite, eat, or chew gently and in small amounts (usually fol. by at): She was so upset she could… …   Universalium

  • nibble — nib|ble1 [ nıbl ] verb 1. ) intransitive or transitive to bite the surface of something gently several times: The parrot was nibbling her ear. a ) to eat something by taking a lot of small bites: Sheep were nibbling the grass. nibble at/on: Mel… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • nibble — I UK [ˈnɪb(ə)l] / US verb Word forms nibble : present tense I/you/we/they nibble he/she/it nibbles present participle nibbling past tense nibbled past participle nibbled 1) a) [intransitive/transitive] to eat something by taking a lot of small… …   English dictionary

  • nibble — nib•ble [[t]ˈnɪb əl[/t]] v. bled, bling, n. 1) to bite off small bits: to nibble on a cracker[/ex] 2) to eat or chew in small bites 3) to bite lightly or gently 4) to bite off or take small bits of (something) 5) to eat by biting off small pieces …   From formal English to slang

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