Showing results for "bit"

• past tense form of bite.
• past participle of bite.

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• bit
  bit

  noun
• B.I.T.
  B.I.T.

  abbreviation

  Bachelor of Industrial Technology.

bit

¹ American  

[bit] / bɪt /

noun

1. Machinery.

   1. a removable drilling or boring tool for use in a brace, drill press, or the like.

   2. a removable boring head used on certain kinds of drills, as a rock drill.

   3. a device for drilling oil wells or the like, consisting of a horizontally rotating blade or an assembly of rotating toothed wheels.

2. the mouthpiece of a bridle, having fittings at each end to which the reins are fastened.

3. anything that curbs or restrains.

4. the blade or iron of a carpenter's plane.

5. the cutting part of an ax or hatchet.

6. the wide portion at the end of an ordinary key that moves the bolt.

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verb (used with object)

bitted, bitting

1. to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse).

2. to curb or restrain with, or as with, a bit.

3. to grind a bit on (a key).

idioms

1. 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.

bit ² American  

[bit] / bɪt /

noun

1. a small piece or quantity of anything.

   a bit of string.

   Synonyms:

   fragment, scrap, jot, iota, whit, grain, speck, particle

2. a short time.

   Wait a bit.

3. Informal. an amount equivalent to 12½ U.S. cents (used only in even multiples).

   two bits; six bits.

4. an act, performance, or routine.

   She's doing the Camille bit, pretending to be near collapse.

5. a stereotypic or habitual set of behaviors, attitudes, or styles associated with an individual, role, situation, etc..

   the whole Wall Street bit.

6. Also called bit part.  a very small role, as in a play or motion picture, containing few or no lines.

7. any small coin.

   a threepenny bit.

8. a Spanish or Mexican silver real worth 12½ cents, formerly current in parts of the United States.

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idioms

1. bit by bit, by degrees; gradually.

   Having saved money bit by bit, they now had enough to buy the land.

2. do one's bit, to contribute one's share to an effort.

   They all did their bit during the war.

3. a bit, rather or somewhat; a little.

   a bit sleepy.

4. a bit much, somewhat overdone or beyond tolerability.

5. every bit, quite; just.

   every bit as good.

6. quite a bit, a fairly large amount.

   There's quite a bit of snow on the ground.

bit ³ American  

[bit] / bɪt /

noun

Computers.

1. 1. Also called binary digit.  a single, basic unit of digital information that is represented by one of two values, such as 1 or 0, True or False, or Yes or No.

   2. the amount of computer memory required for storing such a unit of information, consisting of one of a series of identical physical components that can assume either of two states corresponding to one of two values.

2.  baud.  a unit used to measure the speed of signaling or data transfer, equal to the number of pulses or digital bits per second.

   bit rate.

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bit ⁴ American  

[bit] / bɪt /

verb

1. simple past tense and a past participle of bite.

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B.I.T. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Bachelor of Industrial Technology.

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bit ¹ British  

/ bɪt /

noun

1. a metal mouthpiece, for controlling a horse on a bridle

2. anything that restrains or curbs

3. 1. to undertake a task with determination

   2. to rebel against control

4. a cutting or drilling tool, part, or head in a brace, drill, etc

5. the blade of a woodworking plane

6. the part of a pair of pincers designed to grasp an object

7. the copper end of a soldering iron

8. the part of a key that engages the levers of a lock

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verb

1. to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse)

2. to restrain; curb

bit ² British  

/ bɪt /

noun

1. a single digit of binary notation, represented either by 0 or by 1

2. the smallest unit of information, indicating the presence or absence of a single feature

3. 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

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bit ³ British  

/ bɪt /

verb

1. the past tense and (archaic) past participle of bite

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bit ⁴ British  

/ bɪt /

noun

1. a small piece, portion, or quantity

2. a short time or distance

3. informal the value of an eighth of a dollar: spoken of only in units of two

   two bits

4. any small coin

5. short for bit part

6. informal way of behaving, esp one intended to create a particular impression

   she's doing the prima donna bit

7. rather; somewhat

   a bit dreary

8. 1. rather

      a bit of a dope

   2. a considerable amount

      that must take quite a bit of courage

9. slang a sexually attractive woman

10. gradually

11. informal an extramarital affair

12. to make one's expected contribution

13. (foll by as) to the same degree

    she was every bit as clever as her brother

14. not in the slightest; not at all

15. completely apart

    to fall to bits

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bit Scientific  

/ bĭt /

1. 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.

2. See Note at byte

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bit Cultural  

1. 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.

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bit More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bit

• 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

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Discover More

The information in a digital computer is stored in the form of bits.

Other Word Forms

• bitless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bit¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English bit(t)e, bit, bete “a strike or hit, a blow with a sharp weapon; the blade, tip, or point of a weapon,” Old English bíte “bite, pain, biting pain of a wound”; cognate with German Biss, Old Norse bit; see origin at bite

Origin of bit²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bite “a bite, mouthful, portion,” Old English bita “bit, morsel, fragment”; cognate with German Bissen, Old Norse biti; see bite

Origin of bit³

First recorded in 1945–50; b(inary) + (dig)it

Explanation

Let me give you a bit of advice: Use bit when you're talking about a small amount. Bit is a small but useful word. Like drill bits, which fit on the end of a drill to change its function, the word bit has several uses. Usually, it means a little piece of something, even time. If you ask me when I'm arriving, I might say, "In a little bit." A bit can also be a short theatrical entertainment, the metal piece a horse bites on, or digital information that's 1/8 the size of a byte.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bit bitted bitting

"I feel like I perform better when I have a bit of fire in me," she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

That forecast was a bit more optimistic than a prior forecast for 4% to 5% growth.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

We needed to stop for a little bit and gather our thoughts, reflect on our career and all that we have done.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

With a bit of imagination, you can even see some similarities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

I was a bit worried about it at first—whether anyone would mind, how he’d get on with all the old folks—but he loved it, and as it turned out, so did they.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

And for Hrothgar straightway then was bitted a horse, 1400 A wave-maned steed: and the wise of the princes Went stately his ways; and stepp'd out the man-troop, 82 The linden-board bearers.

From The Tale of Beowulf Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats by Anonymous

It was impossible; so giving his orders stoutly and sharply, the horses were bitted and the girths tightened.

From Crown and Sceptre A West Country Story by Nash, J.

“A big dog done bitted him all up!” cried Mildred.

From Molly Brown's College Friends by Speed, Nell

The tumult ceased, the colt submitted, And, like his ancestors, was bitted.

From The Land of Song, Book II For lower grammar grades by Various

Ah, a tender mouth was bitted and bridled at last! the reins were in the hands of the public, and it would drive me—where?

From Life on the Stage by Morris, Clara

Tishy was bitting off a loose end of thread, which gave her a determined and ferocious expression, but whether she could have seen anything or not the widow felt uncertain.

From Strangers at Lisconnel by Barlow, Jane

So the Pyrenees, with her cargo of fire, was hove to, bitting the teeth of the gale and fighting and smashing the pounding seas.

From South Sea Tales by London, Jack

Saxe, what man of yours is that who is bitting Grey Roland?

From The Justice of the King by Drummond, Hamilton

Hard-mouthed horses, when accompanied with great spirit, are objectionable, as they require peculiar bitting and the utmost vigilance.

From Domestic Animals History and description of the horse, mule, cattle, sheep, swine, poultry and farm dogs; with directions for their management, breeding, crossing, rearing, feeding, and preparation for a profitable market; also their diseases and remedies. Together with full directions for the management of the dairy. by Allen, Richard L.

I have not seen a dozen coachmen, private or public, to whom my youngest child could not have given invaluable suggestions as to the bitting, harnessing, and handling of his cattle.

From Germany and the Germans From an American Point of View by Collier, Price

Related Words

• dose
• fragment
• item
• part
• portion
• sample
• shard
• slice
• sliver
• snippet
• taste
• trace