bite

bite1 [ baıt ] (past tense bit [ bıt ] ; past participle bit|ten [ `bıtn ] ) verb **

1. ) intransitive or transitive to use your teeth to cut or break something, usually in order to eat it:

I wish you wouldn't bite your nails.

bite into: Tom had just bitten into a chicken sandwich.

2. ) intransitive or transitive if a snake or insect bites you, it makes a small hole in your skin:

I was bitten by mosquitoes in the night.

Does your dog bite?

3. ) intransitive if a fish bites, it eats the food that you have put on the hook in order to catch it:

The fish don't seem to be biting today.

4. ) intransitive to have an unpleasant effect:

The figures show that the economic slowdown is beginning to bite.

be bitten by the...bug INFORMAL

to become very enthusiastic about something:

Joe was bitten by the acting bug as a five-year-old.

bite the bullet INFORMAL

to force yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant that you have been avoiding doing:

We'll just have to bite the bullet and get on with it.

bite the dust INFORMAL

to fail, die, or stop existing:

All hope of them winning the championship eventually bit the dust.

bite the hand that feeds you

to do something bad to someone who has been good to you and whose help you need

bite someone's head off INFORMAL

to react angrily or rudely to someone when you have no reason for doing this:

There's no need to bite my head off. I was just asking a simple question.

bite me AMERICAN VERY INFORMAL

used for rudely telling someone that you are upset or annoyed with something they have just said or done:

You're not smart enough to get a job like that. Bite me!

bite your tongue/lip

to stop yourself from saying something that might upset or annoy someone

it/that bites (the big one) AMERICAN SPOKEN

used for saying that you are disappointed or unhappy with something that has happened:

I just found out I owe $500 in taxes. That really bites!

once bitten twice shy

used for saying that someone will be careful about doing something again or unwilling to do it again because they failed or were hurt the first time they did it

someone won't bite SPOKEN

used for telling someone not to be afraid of a particular person:

Just ask her. She won't bite, you know.

,bite `back phrasal verb

1. ) transitive bite back something to stop yourself from saying what you think:

Paul bit back an angry reply.

2. ) intransitive to react angrily to someone who has done or said something unpleasant to you:

It was his instinct to bite back.

`bite ,into phrasal verb transitive

bite into something to press hard into a surface:

The metal collar bit into his neck.

`bite ,off phrasal verb transitive

to separate something from the main part by biting:

I bit off a chunk of chocolate.

bite off more than you can chew

to try to do too much or something that is too hard for you

bite

bite 2 [ baıt ] noun *

▸ 1 act of biting food

▸ 2 small meal/piece of food

▸ 3 when animal uses teeth

▸ 4 when fish pulls hook

▸ 5 very cold feeling

▸ 6 pleasant strong taste

▸ 7 exciting quality

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) count an act of cutting or breaking something using your teeth in order to eat it:

Anthony devoured half his burger in one bite.

Donna paused in mid bite, and looked at him in surprise.

a ) an amount of food that you bite with your teeth:

Here, have a bite of my sandwich if you're hungry.

=> BARK 2

2. ) bite or bite to eat singular a small meal, especially one that you eat in a hurry: SNACK:

Will we have time to grab a bite before the show?

a ) a small piece of food prepared so that you can eat it in one bite:

mozzarella bites

3. ) count an instance of an animal biting someone:

The dog gave him a nasty bite on the leg.

a ) a mark or injury where an animal or insect has bitten you:

I woke up covered with mosquito bites.

4. ) count a pull at the hook when you are fishing, made by a fish trying to take the BAIT on the hook

5. ) singular a very cold feeling:

the bitter bite of the wind

6. ) uncount a pleasant bitter or strong taste:

a soup with plenty of bite

a crisp green salad with the added bite of radish

7. ) uncount a powerful, effective, or exciting quality:

His novel lacks any real bite.

The fuel-injection system gives extra bite to the 24-valve engine.

take a bite out of something

to reduce something by a large amount:

Getting a new car has taken a big bite out of our savings.