bite

Universal Words verb, noun verb (bit ) use teeth 1 ~ (into / through / off sth) to use your teeth to cut into or through sth: [VN] She was bitten by the family dog. * Stop biting your nails! * [V] She bit into a ripe juicy pear. * Does your dog bite? * (spoken) Come here! I won't bite! (= you don't need to be afraid) * He bit off a large chunk of bread / He bit a large chunk of bread off. of insect / snake 2 to wound sb by making a small hole or mark in their skin: [VN] We were badly bitten by mosquitoes. * [V] Most European spiders don't bite. of fish 3 [V] if a fish bites, it takes food from the hook of a FISHINGLINE and may get caught have effect 4 [V] to have an unpleasant effect: The recession is beginning to bite. IDIOMS be bitten by sth to develop a strong interest in or enthusiasm for sth: He's been bitten by the travel bug. bite the bullet (informal) to start to deal with an unpleasant or difficult situation which cannot be avoided: I wasn't happy with the way my career was going so I decided to bite the bullet and look for another job. ORIGIN From the custom of giving soldiers a bullet to bite on during a medical operation without anaesthetic. bite the dust (informal) 1 to fail, or to be defeated or destroyed: Thousands of small businesses bite the dust every year. 2 (humorous) to die bite the hand that feeds you to harm sb who has helped you or supported you bite your lip to stop yourself from saying sth or from showing an emotion bite off more than you can chew to try to do too much, or sth that is too difficult bite your tongue to stop yourself from saying sth that might upset sb or cause an argument, although you want to speak: I didn't believe her explanation but I bit my tongue. I, etc. could have bitten my / his / her tongue out / off used when sb says sth stupid or embarrassing and immediately wishes they had not said it moreatHEADn., ONCEadv. PHRASALVERBS bite back (at sb/sth) to react angrily, especially when sb has criticized or harmed you: The election was a chance for the people to bite back at the government. bite sth<->back to stop yourself from saying sth or from showing your feelings: She bit back her anger. bite into sth to cut into the surface of sth: The horses' hooves bit deep into the soft earth. noun using teeth 1 [C] an act of biting: The dog gave me a playful bite. * He has to wear a brace to correct his bite (= the way the upper and lower teeth fit together). food 2 [C] a small piece of food that you can bite from a larger piece: She took a couple of bites of the sandwich. * He didn't eat a bite of his dinner (= he ate nothing). 3 a ~ (to eat) [sing.] (informal) a small amount of food; a small meal: How about a bite of lunch? * We just have time for a bite to eat before the movie. of insect / animal 4 [C] a wound made by an animal or insect: Dog bites can get infected. * a mosquito / snake bite strong taste 5 [U] a pleasant strong taste: Cheese will add extra bite to any pasta dish. cold 6 [sing.] a sharp cold feeling: There's a bite in the air tonight. powerful effect 7 [U] a quality that makes sth effective or powerful: The performance had no bite to it. * The sun had lost some of its bite by then. of fish 8 [C] the act of a fish biting food on a hook: The fishermen waited all afternoon for a bite. seealsoFROSTBITE, LOVEBITE, SOUNDBITE IDIOMS a bite at / of the cherry (BrE) an opportunity to do sth: You only get one bite at the cherry in life. * They were eager for a second bite of the cherry. moreatBARKn.