A bit means to a small extent or degree. It is sometimes used to make a statement less extreme.
[vagueness]
This girl was a bit strange.
I think people feel a bit more confident.
She looks a bit like his cousin Maureen.
That sounds a bit technical.
Isn't that a bit harsh?
Synonyms: somewhat, rather, quite, kind of [informal] More Synonyms of a bit
See full dictionary entry for bit
a bit
phrase
You use a bit before 'more' or 'less' to mean a small amount more or a small amount less.
I still think I have a bit more to offer.
Maybe we'll hear a little bit less noise.
...a bit more than half the total official debt.
See full dictionary entry for bit
a bit in British English
rather; somewhat
a bit dreary
See full dictionary entry for bit
Examples of 'a bit' in a sentence
a bit
Then the office became a bit small.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In the meantime, perhaps gardeners should be a bit less vigorous with the pruning.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But their ability to foresee the future has been thrown into question, and their predictions sought a bit less as a result.
The Sun (2017)
It's good to be a bit selfish ; it stops you being too needy.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But a caravan anchored in a caravan park near the sea, somewhere on the south coast, is a bit less compelling.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But floating just above the knee looks a bit frumpy ; the eye's just drawn to the hem and all you see is knee.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is a bit rough around the edges, but I feel a bit less decrepit for having made it.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The stage was a bit smaller than we thought too.
The Sun (2010)
We quote a bit less than you and get the work.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
People need to be a bit less skittish.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We encourage landlords to take a bit less rent than they might have wanted as it is not peak season.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The portion was a bit small.
The Sun (2008)
Its realism is a bit stodgy; its flights into fantasy are familiar.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The repetitive lo-fi production leaves it sounding a bit small.
The Sun (2013)
The apartment is a bit small, but perfectly formed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Basically it's a bit more than "energy" but a bit less than matter.
Westcott, Patsy Alternative Health Care for Women (1991)
Anything less seemed a bit lazy'.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Along the top of the house are servant quarters filled with small rooms, a bit like rooms on a boat.
Christianity Today (2000)
They're a bit less gangsta.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It's a bit small though.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I predict a bit less blue.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Though it was a bit less uncomfortable than being encased in an iron maiden, it did give me the most maddening itch.
Kiam, Victor Going For It!: How to Succeed As an Entrepreneur (1986)
L Maybe he could wind me up a bit less.
The Sun (2013)
A bit less than a year ago, it was closer to five.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Highly amusing if you watch in the right mood; a bit boorish if you don't.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Oh, it's a bit small.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He was touting him to City at the time but the recruitment officer did not fancy him because he was a bit on the small side.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I do not like Could do with a bit more power; noisy on motorways.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I hope it'll make you inquire a bit; it feels like a show or a gallery point of view.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This required an additional piece of equipment, for it is impossible to freeze liquids simply by immersing them in ice; a bit of alchemy is required.
Gavin Weightman THE FROZEN WATER TRADE (2002)
All related terms of 'a bit'
a bit of
rather
not a bit
You use not a bit when you want to make a strong negative statement .
a bit of a
You can use a bit of to make a statement less forceful . For example , the statement 'It's a bit of a nuisance ' is less forceful than 'It's a nuisance'.
a bit mean
If someone is being mean , they are being unkind to another person, for example by not allowing them to do something.
a bit much
If you say that something is a bit much , you are annoyed because you think someone has behaved in an unreasonable way.
wait-a-bit
any of various plants having sharp hooked thorns or similar appendages , esp the greenbrier and the grapple plant
a bit thick
unfair or excessive
quite a bit
Quite a bit means quite a lot .
a bit, for a bit
If you do something a bit , you do it for a short time. In British English , you can also say that you do something for a bit .
a bit of skirt
a woman considered sexually
not a bit of it
You say not a bit of it to emphasize that something that you might expect to be the case is not the case.
a bit of all right
a sexually attractive person, esp a woman
a good laugh/a bit of a laugh
If you describe a situation as a laugh , a good laugh , or a bit of a laugh , you think that it is fun and do not take it too seriously .
a bit of slap and tickle
sexual play
quite a few (or bit, etc.)
more than a few (or bit , etc.)
(phrase)
Definition
rather
This girl was a bit strange.
Synonyms
somewhat
He concluded that Oswald was somewhat abnormal.
rather
I'm afraid it's rather a long story.
quite
I was doing quite well, but I wasn't earning a lot of money.
kind of (informal)
It was kind of sad, really.
pretty
I had a pretty good idea what she was going to do.