Synonyms

bite the bullet

Cultural

To adjust to unpleasant circumstances: “The severe drought is forcing everybody to bite the bullet and use less water.” Before anesthesia, people undergoing surgery would bite on a bullet to help them withstand the pain.

bite the bullet Idioms

Behave bravely or stoically when facing pain or a difficult situation, as in If they want to cut the budget deficit, they are going to have to bite the bullet and find new sources of revenue. This phrase is of military origin, but the precise allusion is uncertain. Some say it referred to the treatment of a wounded soldier without anesthesia, so that he would be asked to bite on a lead bullet during treatment. Also, Francis Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1796) holds that grenadiers being disciplined with the cat-o'nine-tails would bite on a bullet to avoid crying out in pain.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

bite the bullet

"I'm looking at ways to spread the cost when I have to bite the bullet and get it," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

At what point should I bite the bullet and just accept less than what I shelled out?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

Some buyers, set on keeping an EV, have decided to bite the bullet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Long-term investors should just bite the bullet and buy these.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Why didn't my mom bite the bullet and enter into a fake marriage to get us green cards faster?

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023