gnash
/naʃ
/verb [with object]
1Grind (one’s teeth) together as a sign of anger (often used hyperbolically): no doubt he is gnashing his teeth in rage...
- Junko thought in anger as she gnashed her teeth.
- Should we clean our teeth before gnashing them in anger at another signal failure?
- Alex reached in and extracted what looked like a crocodile head that was gnashing its teeth together menacingly.
Synonyms
grind, strike together, grate, rasp, grit
archaic gristbite
1.1 [no object] (Of teeth) strike together; grind: the dog’s jaws were primed to gnash...
- Gilgamesh roared, his teeth gnashing together in an effort to hold the stronger, older man back.
- Her face contorted into an animalistic snarl, her muscles tensed, her concentration rose to a new acme, her blood raced, her hair stood on end, and her teeth gnashed together.
- That's our teeth gnashing, that noise, by the way.
Origin
Late Middle English: perhaps related to Old Norse gnastan 'a gnashing'.