Meaning & use
Pawing
Last updated
Touching, scraping, or handling something repeatedly and clumsily with a paw or hand.
See it in a sentence
The dog kept pawing at the door, eager to go outside.
He was pawing through the drawer looking for his keys.
A note on using this word
When used of a person handling someone else too eagerly or roughly, 'pawing' carries a distinctly negative, invasive connotation.
Words with a similar meaning
clawingscrabbling
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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