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Synonyms

champ at the bit

Idioms  

  1. Show impatience at being held back or delayed, as in The dismissal bell hadn't rung, but they were champing at the bit to leave. This term transfers the action of a horse that impatiently bites the bit in its mouth to human behavior. [Mid-1600s]

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.

“But it’s all part of a process of getting better. He was champing at the bit to get back out here and he’ll champ at the bit to get out there tomorrow.”

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2021

These gurus should champ at the bit to show us they actually do know what they’re talking about.

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2019

It’s worth remembering that, just as it’s worth remembering all the Hollywood hires who were forced to champ at the bit once upon a studio time.

From New York Times • Dec. 15, 2012

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.