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Glite Dictionary
🦷 To use teeth 🦷 A tooth wound 🥪 A small snack 😠 To react harshly ❄️ To sting sharply 🌶️ A sharp taste 🎣 A fish takes bait
to bite

to bite

145 7.7
To reply angrily or sharply, often without warning
  • verb
  • /baɪt/
: contestar bruscamente
  • The very first thing the new beneficiaries did was to bite the hand that fed them.
  • biting criticism
  • biting critique
  • biting humor

They bite, they bait you bite, you react strongly.

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Examples

  • Oh, you bite me and I'll bite you!

    The Magnificent Seven (1960)

  • Don't bite so harshly when someone criticizes your work; it helps you improve.

  • Listen, not everyone is trying to bite you, Max.

    Ezra (2024)

  • So you guys know I, I'll bite back when people are saying terrible things about my kids.

    Sarah Rae Vargas

  • Sometimes you have to "bite your tongue" and not let anger or disappointment show.

    Academic text (2010)

  • So yes, those people want to be in power more than they seek truth, which is a calculation that will come back and bite them at some point.

  • Yeah, just don't bite the hand that feeds you.

  • Okay, I'll bite.

    Thunderbolts* (2025)

  • So I feel like that's going to come back to bite her because why would people not just sacrifice you after you've been, you know, useful?

  • I was surprised when she suddenly bit back at my comments during the meeting.

Synonyms

to bark
vsto bite
103 4.8

To speak in a short angry voice to give orders

is closer to hostile reaction but often implies a sudden defensive reply
to snarl
vsto bite
38 5.8

To say something in an angry, sharp voice

is more about the act of reacting harshly, often suddenly and without much cause
to chew out
vsto bite
  • Informal
25 7.0

Scold someone angrily in front of others

is a general harsh reply that can be sudden and not fully justified
to chew up
vsto bite
  • Informal
10 7.1

To scold someone angrily and severely

is similar but emphasizes suddenness and lack of provocation rather than formal censure
to sting like a bee
vsto bite
  • Informal
2 7.7

To say something that hurts someone suddenly and sharply

is about reacting harshly, often unexpectedly, rather than using vivid attack imagery
to bite out
vsto bite
  • Informal
1 7.5

Say something suddenly and sharply when angry or annoyed

covers the same harshness but often highlights unexpected reaction rather than mere abruptness
to get claws out
vsto bite
  • Informal
1 8.8

To become suddenly aggressive and ready to fight back

is the same kind of harsh reply but focuses more on immediate reaction than buildup
to snap someone's head off
vsto bite
  • Offensive
1 8.0

To speak to someone in a sudden angry way without good reason

responds harshly and often unexpectedly without sufficient provocation
to bite one's ass
vsto bite
  • Offensive
9.9

Tell someone angrily to go away using rude words

is similar but stresses abrupt harshness often without sufficient provocation

Antonyms

to forgive
∞ 1.4

To stop feeling angry at someone or yourself for a mistake

to reconcile
49 5.1

To become friendly again after a disagreement

Idioms

a bite of
36 1.0

A small piece of food taken from a larger serving

to bite the bullet
  • Informal
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 bite the hand that feeds
  • Informal
8 6.7

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

in one bite
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

to bite the big one
  • Slang
2 9.9

To fail badly and lose something important

all bark and no bite
  • Informal
2 6.1

Talks in a threatening way but does not act

don't let the bedbugs bite
  • Baby Talk
2 8.4

A playful goodnight wish hoping someone has good dreams

to let the bedbugs bite
  • Informal
2 9.8

To wish someone a good night as a joke

bite my shiny metal ass
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A rude, joking phrase to tell someone to go away

to bite one's tongue
  • Informal
1 6.1

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

eat an elephant one bite at a time
  • Informal
1 7.5

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

to bite one's lip
  • Informal
6.1

Pressing your lips together to keep from laughing or saying something

Phrasal Verbs

to bite off
91 2.1

To remove a piece from something using the teeth

to take a bite
62 1.4

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

to have a bite
23 1.8

Eat a small amount of food as a quick snack

to bite down
18 3.5

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

to come back to bite
  • Informal
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 bite one's nails
1 3.6

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

one bite
34 1.0

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

mosquito bite
13 1.0

A small red itchy bump on the skin from a mosquito

dog bite
7 1.0

An injury when a dog's teeth break the skin

insect bite
6 2.5

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

flea bite
3 2.5

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

tax bite
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

poisonous bite
1 6.5

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

noseeum bite
  • US
7.6

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

How Aggressive

attack
485 3.2
to lash out
78 5.6
to bite
145 7.7
to snap
180 4.0

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Bite meaning to reply harshly comes from the physical act of biting (old English bītan) and so pictures someone 'biting' back with words. That's why to 'bite' in speech is to answer sharply or hurt someone with what you say.