nibble

Western sanctions have not been biting the Russian economy, though they have nibbled away at state revenues.

She pushes the tubes inside the boxes and bees nibble at the mixture.

Diving in a kelp forest in Monterey Bay recently, I watched a tubby 200-pound harbor seal follow a fellow diver, nibbling on his flippers.

First and foremost, he filled up the strike zone, eliminating his habit of nibbling around the plate by throwing 57 strikes in 86 pitches.

The third was a beauty on a good length, nibbling away from the left-hander and taking the edge.