bite
Americanverb (used with object)
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bites,
present (3rd person singular)
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bit,
past participle, past
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bitten,
past participle
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biting
present participle
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to cut, wound, or tear with the teeth.
She bit the apple greedily. The lion bit his trainer.
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to grip or hold with the teeth.
Stop biting your lip!
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to sting, as does an insect.
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to cause to smart or sting.
an icy wind that bit our faces.
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to sever with the teeth (often followed byoff ).
Don't bite your nails. The child bit off a large piece of the candy bar.
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to start to eat (often followed byinto ).
She bit into her steak.
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to clamp the teeth firmly on or around (often followed byon ).
He bit hard on the stick while they removed the bullet from his leg.
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Informal.
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to eat into or corrode, as does an acid.
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to cut or pierce with, or as with, a weapon.
The sword split his helmet and bit him fatally.
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Etching. to etch with acid (a copper or other surface) in such parts as are left bare of a protective coating.
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to take firm hold or act effectively on.
We need a clamp to bite the wood while the glue dries.
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Archaic. to make a decided impression on; affect.
verb (used without object)
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bites,
present (3rd person singular)
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bit,
past participle, past
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bitten,
past participle
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biting
present participle
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to press the teeth into something; attack with the jaws, bill, sting, etc.; snap.
Does your parrot bite?
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Angling. (of fish) to take bait.
The fish aren't biting today.
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to accept an offer or suggestion, especially one intended to trick or deceive.
I knew it was a mistake, but I bit anyway.
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Informal. to admit defeat in guessing.
I'll bite, who is it?
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to act effectively; grip; hold.
This wood is so dry the screws don't bite.
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Slang. to be notably repellent, disappointing, poor, etc.; suck.
noun
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bites
plural
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an act of biting.
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a wound made by biting.
a deep bite.
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a cutting, stinging, or nipping effect.
the bite of an icy wind; the bite of whiskey on the tongue.
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a piece bitten off.
Chew each bite carefully.
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a small meal.
Let's have a bite before the theater.
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a portion severed from the whole.
the government's weekly bite of my paycheck.
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a morsel of food.
not a bite to eat.
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the occlusion of one's teeth.
The dentist said I had a good bite.
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Machinery.
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the catch or hold that one object or one part of a mechanical apparatus has on another.
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a surface brought into contact to obtain a hold or grip, as in a lathe chuck or similar device.
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the amount of material that a mechanical shovel or the like can carry at one time.
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sharpness; incisiveness; effectiveness.
The bite of his story is spoiled by his slovenly style.
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the roughness of the surface of a file.
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Metalworking. the maximum angle, measured from the center of a roll in a rolling mill, between a perpendicular and a line to the point of contact where a given object to be rolled will enter between the rolls.
idioms
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put the bite on,
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to solicit or attempt to borrow money or something of value from.
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to press for money, as in extortion.
They found out about his prison record and began to put the bite on him.
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bite the hand that feeds one, to repay kindness with malice or injury.
When he berates his boss, he is biting the hand that feeds him.
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bite the bullet. bullet.
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bite the dust. dust.
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bite / snap someone's head off, to respond with anger or impatience to someone's question or comment.
He'll bite your head off if you ask for anything.
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bite off more than one can chew, to attempt something that exceeds one's capacity.
In trying to build a house by himself, he bit off more than he could chew.
verb
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to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
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(of animals, insects, etc) to injure by puncturing or tearing (the skin or flesh) with the teeth, fangs, etc, esp as a natural characteristic
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(tr) to cut or penetrate, as with a knife
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(of corrosive material such as acid) to eat away or into
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to smart or cause to smart; sting
mustard bites the tongue
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(intr) angling (of a fish) to take or attempt to take the bait or lure
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to take firm hold of or act effectively upon
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to grip or hold (a workpiece) with a tool or chuck
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(of a screw, thread, etc) to cut into or grip (an object, material, etc)
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informal (tr) to annoy or worry
what's biting her?
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slang (often passive) to cheat
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slang to ask (for); scrounge from
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informal to attempt a task beyond one's capability
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to face up to (pain, trouble, etc) with fortitude; be stoical
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to respond harshly and rudely (to)
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See dust
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to repay kindness with injury or ingratitude
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after an unpleasant experience one is cautious in similar situations
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slang to ask someone for money
noun
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the act of biting
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a thing or amount bitten off
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a wound, bruise, or sting inflicted by biting
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angling an attempt by a fish to take the bait or lure
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informal an incisive or penetrating effect or quality
that's a question with a bite
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a light meal; snack
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a cutting, stinging, or smarting sensation
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the depth of cut of a machine tool
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the grip or hold applied by a tool or chuck to a workpiece
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dentistry the angle or manner of contact between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed naturally
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the surface of a file or rasp with cutting teeth
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the corrosive action of acid, as on a metal etching plate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bitesimple
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bitessimple
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have bitperfect
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have bittenperfect
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has bitperfect
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has bittenperfect
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am bitingprogressive
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are bitingprogressive
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is bitingprogressive
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have been bitingperfect progressive
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has been bitingperfect progressive
Past
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bitsimple
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had bitperfect
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had bittenperfect
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was bitingprogressive
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were bitingprogressive
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had been bitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bite
First recorded before 1000; Middle English biten, Old English bītan; cognate with Old High German bīzan ( German beissen ), Gothic beitan, Old Norse bīta; akin to Latin findere “to split”
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.
See Examples For:
We’re conditioned to be cynical about these sorts of league investigations, that the dog very rarely catches the bumper, and if it does, the bite is timid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The price effect may dissipate soon, in which case higher rates will start to bite only after inflation has already begun coming down.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
“As satisfying as it may feel to some people to see Meta get socked by this, at the end of the day it’s going to come back and bite you.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
International politics was beginning to bite, Serbia's entry to the European Union held up by its protection of the fugitives.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
I bite my lip so I won’t give him the satisfaction of laughing.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
This weekend, leave the predictable bag of chips behind and win the cookout with thrilling bites from Thailand, Canada, and even … Pennsylvania.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
The man being served ahead of me, Dave, bites into his snack and he's instantly in heaven.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
In a typical rattlesnake season, which lasts from April to October, there’s an average of 290 to 390 bites annually statewide, according to the California Poison Control System.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The courses begin with three savory bites before transitioning into full-fledged desserts, including a deconstructed version of her signature multilayered mousse cake, with flavors of brown rice and pecan praline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Mrs. Wendleken always poured iodine all over the bites, so Alice had to go around for days with big brown splotches on her arms and legs.
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
"We had a bit of a mess with Verstappen entering the lap," Russell said.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Which may explain the film’s final bit of poetic license.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
And so we have a bit of a standoff here.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
Experience has shown Porsche that buyers will pay a lot to go a little bit quicker than their neighbor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
His soul, too, had been dragging a bit, weary and short-tempered.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
“Wouldn’t someone bitten or scratched 3 months ago already be rabid and possibly even dead?” another visitor posted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
That radioactive spider that transformed Peter Parker into Spider-Man could have bitten the class moron just as easily.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
In December, a Chinese content creator was bitten in the Maldives.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
A kayaker was bitten by a hammerhead that year, too, and people fishing off Sunset Beach encountered a 10-foot hammerhead, according to news accounts at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
He held his big, swollen scorpion bitten foot up in the air.
From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani
Her biting, uncompromising style earned her the label of "poison-pen writer" from her critics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
That means that for passengers aboard Journey Beyond’s Australian train rides, you may be biting down on a piece of grilled kangaroo as one hops away in the distance.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Parton broke out in 1967, scoring her first hit, a biting number titled “Dumb Blonde,” and then landing a gig with the country star Porter Wagoner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
The hearing stemmed from a petition animal services had filed that same month against the dog’s owners, Claire M. Birgy and Erick Krasnoff, and cited four separate and unprovoked biting incidents dating back to 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The ground burns beneath me, biting my paws.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
