verb

knabbern

nibble

In kleinen Bissen essen, meistens bei harten Dingen wie Nüssen oder Keksen.

To nibble: To eat something in small bites, often slowly or in a leisurely manner. This is frequently used when describing someone eating snacks like nuts, chips, or crackers.
To gnaw: To bite repeatedly, often used in the context of animals (like rodents) gnawing on wood, cables, or other hard objects.
Informal context: In a figurative sense, it can mean to worry or fret about something, as in "an etwas knabbern" (to chew on something mentally).

Grammar: It is a weak verb. The conjugation follows standard patterns: ich knabbere, du knabberst, er/sie/es knabbert, wir knabbern, ihr knabbert, sie/sie knabbern. The past tense is knabberte and the perfect participle is geknabbert.
Origin: The word is of onomatopoeic origin, imitating the sound of small, repetitive bites or the scratching/gnawing sound produced by teeth. It is related to the Middle Low German word knabbern and shares roots with the German word knab.

Synonyms:
- naschen (to snack or eat treats)
- kauen (to chew)
- nagen (to gnaw)
- knuspern (to crunch/nibble)
Antonyms:
- schlingen (to gulp down or devour)
- verschlingen (to gobble up)

Make “knabbern” part of your vocabulary.

Build your German vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.

Die Kinder knabbern an den Keksen.verb

The children are nibbling on the cookies.

Der Hase knabberte genüsslich an einer Karotte.verb

The rabbit nibbled on a carrot with relish.

Mäuse knabberten heimlich Löcher in den Käse.verb

Mice secretly nibbled holes into the cheese.

Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).