tidbit
Americannoun
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a delicate bit or morsel of food.
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a choice or pleasing bit of anything, as news or gossip.
noun
Etymology
Origin of tidbit
First recorded in 1630–40; tide 1 (in sense “feast day”) + bit 2
Explanation
A tidbit is a small amount of something delicious. You might have a tidbit to tide you over between lunch and dinner. If you're tempted to feed your dog tidbits of your dinner, remember that that's a good way to turn him into a chubby dog that begs for food. The word tidbit can also mean "a bit of gossipy information," and you may notice yourself lingering where you can overhear a phone conversation, hoping for a few tidbits. Tidbit, or titbit in the U.K., comes from the dialectical tid, "fond or tender."
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.
That’s a crucial tidbit when it comes to advice, and means I expect my adviser to act in my best interests.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
One surprising tidbit was just how profitable SpaceX’s space-based broadband product, Starlink, is.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
He said: "A little interesting tidbit is that this means the boiling point of water will be probably 98C for parts of the north west of Scotland on Friday night, in theory."
From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025
In response to his cold remarks, she writes, "Well, thank you for that tidbit, I thought. You just made this particular transition much easier!"
From Salon • Jan. 15, 2025
If he gets a tidbit of food, he’s just going to beg constantly.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
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.
