verb | noun
bitebite1 /baɪt/ ●●● S1 verb (past tense bit /bɪt/, past participle bitten /ˈbɪt˺n/) 1
TEETH [intransitive, transitive] to use your teeth to cut, crush, or chew something: Even a friendly dog will bite if it’s scared. Taryn, stop biting your nails!bite into She stopped talking and bit into a cookie.bite something off His ear was bitten off in a fight.bite your lip (=gently bite your bottom lip because you are upset or not sure what to say)2INSECT/SNAKE [intransitive, transitive] if an insect or snake bites you, it injures you by making a hole in your skin: She was bitten by a rattlesnake.3bite the bullet informal to start dealing with a bad or dangerous situation because you cannot avoid it any longer: A lot of companies had to bite the bullet and lay off a lot of their employees.4bite your tongue to stop yourself from saying what you really think, even though this is difficult: I knew it would just make things worse, so I bit my tongue.5bite somebody’s head off informal to answer someone or speak to him or her very angrily, especially when there is no good reason to speak in this way: I never know if he’s going to be in a good mood or if he’s going to bite my head off.6bite the hand that feeds you to harm someone who has helped or supported you7bite the dust informal a)to die, fail, or be defeated: Half of all new restaurants bite the dust in the first year. b)to stop working completely: My old car’s finally bitten the dust.8bite off more than you can chew to try to do more than you are able to do: Many kids who leave home to live alone find they have bitten off more than they can chew.9HAVE AN EFFECT [intransitive] to have the effect that was intended, especially a negative or bad one: The new tobacco taxes have begun to bite.10FISH [intransitive] if a fish bites, it takes food from a hook and so gets caught11BUY/BELIEVE [intransitive] to buy a product or believe what someone is telling you, especially when someone is trying very hard to make you do this: The product was withdrawn when consumers failed to bite.12PRESS HARD [intransitive] if an object bites into a surface, it presses firmly into it and does not move or slip: bite into The ski’s edge should bite into the snow. The knotted rope bit into my skin.13COLD/WIND [intransitive] if cold weather or the wind bites, it makes you feel extremely cold14he/she won’t bite spoken used to say that there is no need to be afraid of someone, especially someone in authority: Well, go and ask him if he can help you – he won’t bite!15be bitten by the showbiz/travel/flying etc. bug to develop a very strong interest in or desire for something: Kinner was bitten by the flying bug in his twenties.16once bitten twice shy used to say that if you have failed or been hurt once, you will be very careful next time17something bites (the big one) slang an impolite expression meaning that something is very bad in quality or that a situation is very bad: Your mom won’t let you go? That bites.[Origin: Old English bitan]bite back phrasal verb1bite something ↔ back to stop yourself from saying something or telling someone what you really feel: Tamara bit back the insult that sprang to mind.2 to react strongly and angrily to something: Shortly after the incident, Young bit back in court, filing a civil suit. verb | noun
bitebite2 ●●● S2 noun 1USING TEETH [countable] the act of cutting or crushing something with your teeth: party food that you can eat in one bite “The chicken’s dry,” said Kim, after taking a bite. Can I have a bite of your steak?2WOUND [countable] a wound made when an animal or insect bites you: snake/mosquito/spider etc. bite We came back from the walk covered in mosquito bites.bite of The bite of a black mamba snake can kill within minutes.3a bite (to eat) spoken a small meal: We had a bite to eat before the movie. I’ll just grab a bite on the way to work.4COLD [singular] a sharp feeling of coldness: bite of the bite of the November wind5AMOUNT [singular] an amount of money that is taken from something, especially by the government: The state will be taking a bite out of money earned from local traffic tickets.6TASTE [uncountable] a pleasantly strong, bitter, or sour taste: The barbecue sauce lacked heat and bite.7EFFECTIVENESS [uncountable] a special quality in speech, writing, or a performance that makes arguments or criticisms effective and likely to persuade people: a protest song with bite and wit8FISH [countable] an occasion when a fish takes the food from a hook: Sometimes I sit for hours and never get a bite.9JAW [countable usually singular] the position of someone’s upper teeth in relation to his or her lower teeth → see also sound bite