bit
1Machinery.
a removable drilling or boring tool for use in a brace, drill press, or the like.
a removable boring head used on certain kinds of drills, as a rock drill.
a device for drilling oil wells or the like, consisting of a horizontally rotating blade or an assembly of rotating toothed wheels.
the mouthpiece of a bridle, having fittings at each end to which the reins are fastened.
anything that curbs or restrains.
the blade or iron of a carpenter's plane.
the cutting part of an ax or hatchet.
the wide portion at the end of an ordinary key that moves the bolt.
to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse).
to curb or restrain with, or as with, a bit.
to grind a bit on (a key).
Idioms about bit
take the bit in / between one's teeth, to cast off control; willfully go one's own way: He took the bit in his teeth and acted against his parents' wishes.
Origin of bit
1Other words from bit
- bitless, adjective
Words Nearby bit
Other definitions for bit (2 of 5)
a small piece or quantity of anything: a bit of string.
a short time: Wait a bit.
Informal. an amount equivalent to 12½ U.S. cents (used only in even multiples): two bits; six bits.
an act, performance, or routine: She's doing the Camille bit, pretending to be near collapse.
a stereotypic or habitual set of behaviors, attitudes, or styles associated with an individual, role, situation, etc.: the whole Wall Street bit.
Also called bit part. a very small role, as in a play or motion picture, containing few or no lines.: Compare walk-on (def. 1).
any small coin: a threepenny bit.
a Spanish or Mexican silver real worth 12½ cents, formerly current in parts of the United States.
Origin of bit
2Other words for bit
Other definitions for bit (3 of 5)
Also called binary digit. a single, basic unit of information, used in connection with computers and information theory.
baud.
Origin of bit
3Other definitions for bit (4 of 5)
simple past tense and a past participle of bite.
Other definitions for B.I.T. (5 of 5)
Bachelor of Industrial Technology.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bit in a sentence
This one is perhaps a bit too complex to capture in a sentence or two, so see our previous coverage of NDB here.
Here are the 19 companies presenting at Alchemist Accelerator Demo Day XXV today | Greg Kumparak | September 17, 2020 | TechCrunchAs a result, the waves travel a bit faster when the water is warmer.
Underwater earthquakes’ sound waves reveal changes in ocean warming | Carolyn Gramling | September 17, 2020 | Science NewsShe is juggling a lot and is plowing through, but wants to take care of herself naturally and sometimes a bit indulgently.
Tower 28 Announces Winner Of The Clean Beauty Summer School Program | Hope Wright | September 17, 2020 | Essence.comElsewhere, the software feels a bit zippier than on the Series 5, thanks to Apple’s improved S6 processor chip.
Apple Watch Series 6 first impressions: A stretchy addition looks great | Aaron Pressman | September 17, 2020 | FortuneAt the time of the 1790 census, Virginia had a bit less than 13 times the population of Delaware.
In a bit of foreshadowing, he repeated that opinion in November.
Even the hot Jewish women I mentioned above did something a bit more “intellectual” than pageantry: acting.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America? | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHis peers remember him as a bright man who spoke softly and occasionally came across as a bit shy.
She narrowed her eyes, bit her lip as if to chew over the question, and whisked some stray blond hairs away from her face.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIt reminded me a bit of an alternative take on The Wolf of Wall Street—through the Toni and Candace lens.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAfter a bit of waiting, Mac decided that the smoke was floating from a certain direction, and we began to edge carefully that way.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThe sudden pall of darkness in this strange house of mystery was just a tiny bit awesome.
The Boarded-Up House | Augusta Huiell SeamanThings looked anxious for a bit, but by this morning's dawn all are dug in, cool, confident.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonNogués and his brave lads have done their bit indeed for the glory of the Army of France.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonKum Kale has been a brilliant bit of work, though I fear we have lost nearly a quarter of our effectives.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
British Dictionary definitions for bit (1 of 4)
/ (bɪt) /
a small piece, portion, or quantity
a short time or distance
US and Canadian informal the value of an eighth of a dollar: spoken of only in units of two: two bits
any small coin
short for bit part
informal way of behaving, esp one intended to create a particular impression: she's doing the prima donna bit
a bit rather; somewhat: a bit dreary
a bit of
rather: a bit of a dope
a considerable amount: that must take quite a bit of courage
a bit of all right, a bit of crumpet, a bit of stuff or a bit of tail British slang a sexually attractive woman
bit by bit gradually
bit on the side informal an extramarital affair
do one's bit to make one's expected contribution
every bit (foll by as) to the same degree: she was every bit as clever as her brother
not a bit or not a bit of it not in the slightest; not at all
to bits completely apart: to fall to bits
Origin of bit
1British Dictionary definitions for bit (2 of 4)
/ (bɪt) /
a metal mouthpiece, for controlling a horse on a bridle
anything that restrains or curbs
take the bit in one's teeth, take the bit between one's teeth, have the bit in one's teeth or have the bit between one's teeth
to undertake a task with determination
to rebel against control
a cutting or drilling tool, part, or head in a brace, drill, etc
the blade of a woodworking plane
the part of a pair of pincers designed to grasp an object
the copper end of a soldering iron
the part of a key that engages the levers of a lock
to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse)
to restrain; curb
Origin of bit
2British Dictionary definitions for bit (3 of 4)
/ (bɪt) /
the past tense and (archaic) past participle of bite
British Dictionary definitions for bit (4 of 4)
/ (bɪt) /
a single digit of binary notation, represented either by 0 or by 1
the smallest unit of information, indicating the presence or absence of a single feature
a unit of capacity of a computer, consisting of an element of its physical structure capable of being in either of two states, such as a switch with on and off positions, or a microscopic magnet capable of alignment in two directions
Origin of bit
4Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for bit
[ bĭt ]
The smallest unit of computer memory. A bit holds one of two possible values, either of the binary digits 0 or 1. The term comes from the phrase binary digit. See Note at byte.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for bit
The smallest unit of information. One bit corresponds to a “yes” or “no.” Some examples of a bit of information: whether a light is on or off, whether a switch (like a transistor) is on or off, whether a grain of magnetized iron points up or down.
Notes for bit
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with bit
In addition to the idiom beginning with bit
- bit by bit
- bite off more than one can chew
- bite one's nails
- bite one's tongue
- bite someone's head off
- bite the bullet
- bite the dust
- bite the hand that feeds you
also see:
- a bit
- champ at the bit
- do one's bit
- every bit
- not a bit
- quite a bit
- take the bit in one's mouth
- two bits
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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