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grignoter

to nibble, to snack

verb gree-nyoh-TEH Rare
Food & Drink Cooking

Also means

to chip away at, to erode

Usage Note

Grignoter describes small repeated biting motions — grignoter des biscuits (to nibble biscuits). Figuratively it means to gradually eat into something, as in grignoter des parts de marché (to nibble away at market share). The noun grignotage means snacking.

Examples

"Elle grignote des noix en regardant la télé."

Natural Translation

She nibbles nuts while watching TV.

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