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
-
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
-
biting
present participle
-
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:
To lawyers and other advisers, the case reads like a textbook example of how that wealth can come back to bite, especially when founders and other business owners don’t take steps to protect their companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Before the animal takes a bite, it sizes up Pamela, sniffs her tears, and leaves her be.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
A pilot asked for medical help, describing "a bloody nose" and "some bite marks", according to audio recorded on air traffic control obtained by CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
They are cute, helpful little fellas who want to assist you in digesting the world, one bite at a time.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
She studied me for a second longer and then took a bite of her salad.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
They’re also turning to social media to commiserate over their collections of mosquito bites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
But from his bashful demeanor to his disinterest in delivering inflammatory sound bites, it’s clear the soft-spoken Mungiu lacks the mischievous air of a contrarian.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The technology emerged from research focused on making military uniforms more resistant to mosquito bites and improving comfort for soldiers wearing body armor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Spread mainly by midge bites, the virus was confirmed in a sheep in Cornwall in September 2025.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
This time, she bites off the bottom of a snowman.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Earnings season may also bring “a bit of a sense of comfort,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
A decision on Rosebank, an oil field about 80 miles north east of Shetland, is expected to take a bit longer.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
“Ideally, we’d love to see those scales tip a little bit more, right?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
“Who realistically is going to be in this movie? I don’t know. A guy who might be a little bit like John Turturro, if I’m lucky.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
That the two men looked so familiar puzzled him a bit, but he concluded that they were not the men they seemed to be.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
A neighbor who allegedly fed a wild coyote in Atwater Village for months may now face a criminal charge after a 16-month-old toddler was bitten in the neighborhood, according to authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
That same evening, officers found a coyote in the area where the child was bitten, trapped it and euthanized it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Donald worked as landscape gardener before suffering from a stroke and later contracting Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
A surfer in his fifties was rushed to hospital on Monday after being bitten by a shark in Western Australia, the state government and local ambulance service said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
I think back to the night of Mayor Carrs dinner party—the electric lights on his house, the newspaperman who was mysteriously bitten.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
The animal has red eyes and a short proboscis equipped with claws that help it grab food before biting.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026
To distract the dog from biting them, they said, they fed it cereal they’d taken from a neighboring house where Yakeschi’s aunt lived.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
If cats get bored, they might redirect toward knocking things over, tearing up the carpet or biting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Sir Tony Blair wrote that "PMQs was the most nerve wracking, discombobulating, nail biting, bowel moving, terror inspiring, courage draining experience in my prime ministerial life, without question".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Okay, fine—we’ll get our attorneys to find the loopholes,” Dad said, biting off his words.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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