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to bite

to bite

928 1.0
To use the teeth to cut, grip, or tear something
  • verb
  • /baɪt/
: morder
  • If he bites you, you get rabies and you die.
  • dogs that bite
  • mosquitoes that bite
  • insects that bite

Yeah, I had my dad get bit by a dog cop.

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Examples

  • I knew this would come back to bite me.

  • Typically, the vampire looms over the victim dramatically, then bites into the neck to suck blood.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Or it will bite you in the ass.

  • If you even try, I will bite your finger off.

  • His mouth closed when he bit one of the fingers on his left hand.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The child was referred for problem behaviors, including biting teachers and hitting other children.

    Academic text (2013)
  • She bit our mailman in the leg.

  • Something bit me.

  • According to the report, some new kind of lizard is biting children on the coast.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The dog growled and tried to bite the stranger who approached its owner.

Synonyms

to take a bite
vsto bite
62 1.4

To eat a small piece of food or reduce something a little

also covers teeth actions that cut tear or wound rather than eat
to nip
vsto bite
53 4.6

To pinch quickly with fingers or teeth

is broader covering any use of teeth to grip cut tear or wound
to gnaw
vsto bite
35 3.2

Bite or chew something again and again to make it smaller

is any teeth action including single quick or damaging moments
nibble
vsto bite
17 3.2

A small, gentle bite often made carefully by an animal or person

is a general teeth action that can be stronger or damaging
to snap at
vsto bite
13 4.3

Bite quickly with a short, sharp movement of the mouth

uses teeth to grip cut tear or wound in any way
to naw
vsto bite
  • UK
1 9.9

To bite or chew something many times until it wears away

is the standard general term for the same persistent chewing action
to manducate
vsto bite
  • Formal
9.9

To chew food with the teeth

is the common word for general teeth gripping tearing or wounding

Antonyms

∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

Idioms

36 1.0

A small piece of food taken from a larger serving

18 5.8

To face a difficult or unpleasant situation bravely

to bite the dust
  • Informal
15 6.8

To stop working or fail completely

bite me
  • Offensive
13 9.9

A rude phrase people use to tell someone you are annoyed and do not care

To harm someone who helps you

I'll bite
  • Informal
6 9.9

A phrase that says you are willing to hear more, often when not sure

4 3.1

To eat or swallow something in a single mouthful

bite my ass
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A rude, angry reply that shows you do not care what someone says

2 9.9

To fail badly and lose something important

2 6.1

Talks in a threatening way but does not act

2 8.4

A playful goodnight wish hoping someone has good dreams

2 9.8

To wish someone a good night as a joke

1 9.9

A rude, joking phrase to tell someone to go away

1 6.1

Stop yourself from saying something you want to say because it would be rude

To finish a very large task by doing small easy steps

to bite one's ass
  • Offensive
9.9

Tell someone angrily to go away using rude words

6.1

Pressing your lips together to keep from laughing or saying something

Phrasal Verbs

91 2.1

To remove a piece from something using the teeth

To eat a small piece of food or reduce something a little

to grab a bite
  • Informal
33 2.9

Eat a quick meal when you are busy or in a hurry

Eat a small amount of food as a quick snack

18 3.5

To press the teeth firmly together to help you stand pain or stay focused

13 6.8

To have problems later because of something you did before

to bite out
  • Informal
1 7.5

Say something suddenly and sharply when angry or annoyed

To chew your nails when you feel nervous

Compounds

sound bite
  • Literature
62 4.0

A short part of a recorded statement on radio or television, often by a politician

bite to eat
  • Informal
36 1.8

A small quick meal or snack

34 1.0

A single piece of food you put into your mouth at once

13 1.0

A small red itchy bump on the skin from a mosquito

7 1.0

An injury when a dog's teeth break the skin

6 2.5

A small itchy or painful mark on the skin caused by an insect

3 2.5

A small red itchy spot on the skin caused by a flea

1 5.8

The part of your pay the government takes

love bite
  • NSFW
1 7.4

A temporary mark on the skin made by kissing or sucking

A bite that puts poison into the body and can hurt or kill

bite plate
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A small removable piece of plastic that fits on the roof of the mouth to help the teeth or jaw

flea bite
  • Informal
5.3

A very small problem that is not important compared to bigger ones

7.6

A small itchy mark on the skin caused by tiny insects called no-see-ums

How Forceful

to maul
  • NSFW
35 7.2
to chomp
32 4.0
to bite
928 1.0
to snap at
13 4.3
to nibble
55 2.0

Surface Forms

bite infinitive
biting present participle
bites third person singular
bit past
bitten past participle

Etymology

Bite the verb comes from an old English word bītan that means 'to cut with the teeth'. So to 'bite' is to use your teeth to grip, cut, or wound, just as the root shows.