verb (used with object),bit,bit·ten or bit,bit·ing.
to cut, wound, or tear with the teeth: She bit the apple greedily. The lion bit his trainer.
to grip or hold with the teeth: Stop biting your lip!
to sting, as does an insect.
to cause to smart or sting: an icy wind that bit our faces.
to sever with the teeth (often followed by off): Don't bite your nails. The child bit off a large piece of the candy bar.
to start to eat (often followed by into): She bit into her steak.
to clamp the teeth firmly on or around (often followed by on): He bit hard on the stick while they removed the bullet from his leg.
Informal.
to take advantage of; cheat; deceive: I got bitten in a mail-order swindle.
to annoy or upset; anger: What's biting you, sorehead?
to eat into or corrode, as does an acid.
to cut or pierce with, or as with, a weapon: The sword split his helmet and bit him fatally.
Etching. to etch with acid (a copper or other surface) in such parts as are left bare of a protective coating.
to take firm hold or act effectively on: We need a clamp to bite the wood while the glue dries.
Archaic. to make a decided impression on; affect.
verb (used without object),bit,bit·ten or bit,bit·ing.
to press the teeth into something; attack with the jaws, bill, sting, etc.; snap: Does your parrot bite?
Angling. (of fish) to take bait: The fish aren't biting today.
to accept an offer or suggestion, especially one intended to trick or deceive: I knew it was a mistake, but I bit anyway.
Informal. to admit defeat in guessing: I'll bite, who is it?
to act effectively; grip; hold: This wood is so dry the screws don't bite.
Slang. to be notably repellent, disappointing, poor, etc.; suck.
noun
an act of biting.
a wound made by biting: a deep bite.
a cutting, stinging, or nipping effect: the bite of an icy wind; the bite of whiskey on the tongue.
a piece bitten off: Chew each bite carefully.
a small meal: Let's have a bite before the theater.
a portion severed from the whole: the government's weekly bite of my paycheck.
a morsel of food: not a bite to eat.
the occlusion of one's teeth: The dentist said I had a good bite.
Machinery.
the catch or hold that one object or one part of a mechanical apparatus has on another.
a surface brought into contact to obtain a hold or grip, as in a lathe chuck or similar device.
the amount of material that a mechanical shovel or the like can carry at one time.
sharpness; incisiveness; effectiveness: The bite of his story is spoiled by his slovenly style.
the roughness of the surface of a file.
Metalworking. the maximum angle, measured from the center of a roll in a rolling mill, between a perpendicular and a line to the point of contact where a given object to be rolled will enter between the rolls.
Idioms for bite
bite off more than one can chew, to attempt something that exceeds one's capacity: In trying to build a house by himself, he bit off more than he could chew.
bite / snap someone's head off, to respond with anger or impatience to someone's question or comment: He'll bite your head off if you ask for anything.
bite the bullet. bullet (def. 7).
bite the dust. dust (def. 21).
bite the hand that feeds one, to repay kindness with malice or injury: When he berates his boss, he is biting the hand that feeds him.
put the bite on, Slang.
to solicit or attempt to borrow money or something of value from.
to press for money, as in extortion: They found out about his prison record and began to put the bite on him.
Origin of bite
before 1000; Middle English biten,Old English bītan; cognate with Old High German bīzan (German beissen), Gothic beitan,Old Norse bīta; akin to Latin findere to split
SYNONYMS FOR bite
1 gnaw, chew, nip.
22 mouthful, morsel, taste; scrap, crumb, dab.
23 snack, nosh.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bite ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM bite
bit·a·ble,bite·a·ble,adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bite
bight, bite , byte
Words nearby bite
bitchin', bitch session, bitch-slap, bitchy, bitcoin, bite, bite analysis, bite back, bite gauge, bitemporal hemianopsia, bite off more than one can chew
If I’m looking at an enterprise size ecommerce site, I like to approach this in bite size pieces rather than tackling the entire site at the same time.
How search data can inform larger online business decisions|Sebastian Compagnucci|August 5, 2020|Search Engine Land
The discovery raises the possibility that caecilians may be the first amphibians found capable of delivering a venomous bite.
Bizarre caecilians may be the only amphibians with venomous bites|Christie Wilcox|July 3, 2020|Science News
Scientists waiting with forceps and a razor on a lab rooftop tried to mimic bee activity in real time, bite by bite, on comparison plants.
Bumblebees may bite leaves to spur plant blooming|Susan Milius|July 2, 2020|Science News For Students
Ancient relatives of today’s anchovies once had quite the bite.
Saber-toothed anchovy relatives were once fearsome hunters|Carolyn Wilke|June 11, 2020|Science News For Students
People really need to understand that they need to do something, do it regularly, and it’s okay to take it in small bites.
The Zero-Minute Workout (Ep. 383 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|January 2, 2020|Freakonomics
Leapolitan responded by saying, “hopefully youll [sic] bite into a poison apple.”
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One bite too many, and I could look down and practically see my thighs expanding before my eyes.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Taking a bite out of it made me feel like I was at a family bris… in a good, nostalgic way.
I Ate Potato Pancakes Til I Plotzed|Emily Shire|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She has this little bit of a bite to her and a fight within her that does come through in little moments.