bite
11 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of BITE
1
of a person or animal
a
:
to press down on or cut into (someone or something) with the teeth
— often + off
— often + down, into, or through
[+ object]
-
He bit the apple.
-
The hamster bit the child.
-
She bit the cookie in half.
-
Some people bite their nails when they feel nervous.
-
The child bit off a corner of the cracker.
[no object]
-
A wild animal may bite if it is frightened.
-
He accidentally bit down on his tongue.
-
She had just bitten into her sandwich when the phone rang.
-
The dog bit through its leash and ran off.
-
Go talk to him. He won't bite. [=you should not be afraid to go talk to him]
b
of an insect or snake
:
to wound (someone) by pushing a stinger, fang, etc., into the skin
— sometimes used figuratively
[+ object]
-
The patient had been bitten by a poisonous snake.
-
A mosquito bit me.
[no object]
-
The mosquitoes are biting tonight.
-
He was bitten by the travel bug. [=he became very interested in or excited about traveling]
2
[no object]
:
to grab and hold something without slipping
— usually + into
-
The anchor bit into the ocean floor.
3
[no object]
a
of a fish
:
to take a fishhook and bait into the mouth and usually to get caught
-
Are the fish biting today?
b
somewhat informal
:
to respond to or accept something that is being offered
◊ Someone gets you to bite by offering something you want so that you will do something desired.
-
We offered them a great deal, but they wouldn't bite. [=they wouldn't accept the deal]
-
“I just heard the juiciest piece of gossip!” “OK, I'll bite. [=I'll ask the question you want me to ask] What is it?”
4
[no object]
chiefly British
:
to have a bad effect
-
With the recession starting to bite, many government-funded programs have had to be eliminated.
5
[no object]
US slang, impolite
:
to be extremely bad
-
This movie really bites. [=sucks, stinks]
-
“They canceled the concert.” “Man, that bites!” [=(politely) that's awful]
bite back
[phrasal verb] informal
1
:
to attack or criticize someone who has attacked or criticized you
— often + at
-
Weary of her rival's accusations, the candidate bit back [=hit back, fought back] with an aggressive ad campaign.
-
She bit back at her rival with an aggressive ad campaign.
2
bite back (something)
or
bite (something) back
:
to stop yourself from saying (something)
-
I attempted to smile sweetly while biting back angry comments.
bite off more than you can chew
informal
:
to try to do too much
:
to take on more responsibility than you can handle
-
I really bit off more than I could chew when I took on this project.
bite someone's head off
informal
:
to yell at someone or to be very critical of someone especially very suddenly and without a good reason
-
I asked him one simple question and he bit my head off.
bite the bullet
informal
:
to do something unpleasant or painful because it is necessary even though you would like to avoid it
-
We need to bite the bullet and make some budget cuts.
bite the dust
informal
:
to die or stop functioning
-
My old car finally bit the dust and I had to buy a new one.
bite the hand that feeds you
informal
:
to harm someone who has helped or supported you
-
He was reluctant to criticize his mentor for fear of biting the hand that fed him.
bite your tongue
informal also bite your lip
:
to not speak
:
to stop yourself from saying something that you are tempted to say
— often used as a command
-
I thought she was acting foolishly, but I bit my tongue [=held my tongue] and didn't say anything.
-
“I hope he gets hurt.” “Bite your tongue! [=don't say that] That's a terrible thing to say!”
come back to bite you
◊ If something that you do comes back to bite you, it causes problems for you at a later time.
-
Their decision not to invest more money in new equipment may come back to bite them eventually.
hair of the dog that bit you
once bitten, twice shy
◊ The expression once bitten, twice shy means that a person who has failed or been hurt when trying to do something is careful or fearful about doing it again.
— biter
noun, plural biters [count]
2
bite
/ˈbaɪt/
noun
plural
bites
2
bite
/ˈbaɪt/
noun
plural
bites
Britannica Dictionary definition of BITE
1
[count]
a
:
an act of biting
-
He ate the candy bar in three quick bites.
-
She gave her lip a gentle bite.
-
The fisherman felt a bite at the end of his line and reeled in a fish.
b
:
the way the upper and lower teeth come together
—
see also overbite
-
My teenage daughter wears a special device at night to correct her bite.
2
a
[count]
:
the amount of food eaten with a bite
-
He took several bites (out) of the apple.
-
She didn't touch/eat a bite. [=she didn't eat anything]
-
I can't eat another bite. [=I'm completely full; I no longer feel any hunger]
b
[singular]
informal
:
a small amount of food
:
a snack or a small informal meal
-
We grabbed a quick bite (to eat) before the show.
-
They've gone out for a bite (to eat).
3
4
[noncount]
:
a bad effect
:
a negative impact
-
Many agencies have been feeling the bite of budget cuts.
5
[noncount]
a
:
a sharp feeling or taste
-
We felt the bite of the cold wind on our cheeks.
-
The soup has a peppery bite.
b
:
a sharp quality in something written, spoken, or performed
◊ Something that has bite usually expresses criticism in a strong and often clever way.
-
satirical bite
-
the bite of his humor
