Adjacent Words

Bite definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BITE, v.t. pret. bit; pp. bit, bitten.
1. To break or crush with the teeth, as in eating; to pierce with the teeth, as a serpent; to seize with the teeth, as a dog.
2. To pinch or pain, as with cold; as a biting north wind; the frost bites.
3. To reproach with sarcasm; to treat with severity by words or writing; as, one poet praises, another bites.
4. To pierce,cut, or wound; as a biting falchion.
5. To make to smart, as acids bite the mouth.
6. To cheat; to trick.
The rogue was bit.
[Not elegant, but common.]
7. To enter the ground and hold fast, as the bill and palm of an anchor.
8. To injure by angry contention.
If ye bite and devour one another. Galatians 5.
BITE, n. The seizure of any thing by the teeth of an animal, as the bite of a dog; or with the mouth, as of a fish.
1. The wound made by the teeth.
2. A morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting; a mouthful.
3. A cheat; a trick; a fraud. [A low word.]
4. A sharper; one who cheats.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person
2: a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left was a bit of bread" [syn: morsel, bit, bite]
3: a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin [syn: sting, bite, insect bite]
4: a light informal meal [syn: bite, collation, snack]
5: (angling) an instance of a fish taking the bait; "after fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite"
6: wit having a sharp and caustic quality; "he commented with typical pungency"; "the bite of satire" [syn: pungency, bite]
7: a strong odor or taste property; "the pungency of mustard"; "the sulfurous bite of garlic"; "the sharpness of strange spices"; "the raciness of the wine" [syn: pungency, bite, sharpness, raciness]
8: the act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws [syn: bite, chomp]
9: a portion removed from the whole; "the government's weekly bite from my paycheck" v
1: to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws; "Gunny invariably tried to bite her" [syn: bite, seize with teeth]
2: cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun burned his face" [syn: bite, sting, burn]
3: penetrate or cut, as with a knife; "The fork bit into the surface"
4: deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday" [syn: sting, bite, prick]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (bit; bitten; also bit; biting) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English b?tan; akin to Old High German b?zan to bite, Latin findere to split Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to seize especially with teeth or jaws so as to enter, grip, or wound b. to wound, pierce, or sting especially with a fang or a proboscis 2. to cut or pierce with or as if with an edged weapon 3. to cause sharp pain or stinging discomfort to 4. to take hold of 5. archaic to take in ; cheat intransitive verb 1. to bite or have the habit of biting something 2. of a weapon or tool to cut, pierce, or take hold 3. to cause irritation or smarting 4. corrode 5. a. of fish to take a bait b. to respond so as to be caught (as by a trick) c. to accept a suggestion or an offer <offered them a deal but they wouldn't bite> 6. to take or maintain a firm hold 7. to produce a negative effect <the recession began to bite> 8. slang to be objectionable or extremely bad in quality ; stink, suck • biter noun II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. the act of biting b. the manner of biting; especially occlusion 1b 2. food: as a. the amount of food taken at a bite ; morsel b. a small amount of food ; snack <have a bite to eat> 3. archaic a. cheat, trick b. sharper 4. a wound made by biting 5. the hold or grip by which friction is created or purchase is obtained 6. a surface that creates friction or is brought into contact with another for the purpose of obtaining a hold 7. a. a keen incisive quality b. a sharp penetrating effect 8. a single exposure of an etcher's plate to the corrosive action of acid 9. an amount taken usually in one operation for one purpose ; share 10. sound bite

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (past bit; past part. bitten) 1 tr. cut or puncture using the teeth. 2 tr. (foll. by off, away, etc.) detach with the teeth. 3 tr. (of an insect, snake, etc.) wound with a sting, fangs, etc. 4 intr. (of a wheel, screw, etc.) grip, penetrate. 5 intr. accept bait or an inducement. 6 intr. have a (desired) adverse effect. 7 tr. (in passive) a take in; swindle. b (foll. by by, with, etc.) be infected by (enthusiasm etc.). 8 tr. (as bitten adj.) cause a glowing or smarting pain to (frostbitten). 9 intr. (foll. by at) snap at. --n. 1 an act of biting. 2 a wound or sore made by biting. 3 a a mouthful of food. b a snack or light meal. 4 the taking of bait by a fish. 5 pungency (esp. of flavour). 6 incisiveness, sharpness. 7 = OCCLUSION 3. Phrases and idioms: bite back restrain (one's speech etc.) by or as if by biting the lips. bite (or bite on) the bullet sl. behave bravely or stoically. bite the dust sl. 1 die. 2 fail; break down. bite the hand that feeds one hurt or offend a benefactor. bite a person's head off colloq. respond fiercely or angrily. bite one's lip see LIP. bite off more than one can chew take on a commitment one cannot fulfil. once bitten twice shy an unpleasant experience induces caution. put the bite on US sl. borrow or extort money from. what's biting you? sl. what is worrying you? Derivatives: biter n. Etymology: OE bitan f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bite Bite, v. t. [imp. Bit; p. p. Bitten, Bit; p. pr. & vb. n. Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. b[=i]tan; akin to D. bijten, OS. b[=i]tan, OHG. b[=i]zan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. b[=i]ta, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. [root]87. Cf. Fissure.] 1. To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth; as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man. Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain. --Shak. 2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food. 3. To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure, in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the mouth. ``Frosts do bite the meads.'' --Shak. 4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.] --Pope. 5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground. The last screw of the rack having been turned so often that its purchase crumbled, . . . it turned and turned with nothing to bite. --Dickens. To bite the dust, To bite the ground, to fall in the agonies of death; as, he made his enemy bite the dust. To bite in (Etching), to corrode or eat into metallic plates by means of an acid. To bite the thumb at (any one), formerly a mark of contempt, designed to provoke a quarrel; to defy. ``Do you bite your thumb at us?'' --Shak. To bite the tongue, to keep silence. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bite Bite, v. i. 1. To seize something forcibly with the teeth; to wound with the teeth; to have the habit of so doing; as, does the dog bite? 2. To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent; as, it bites like pepper or mustard. 3. To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing. At the last it [wine] biteth like serpent, and stingeth like an adder. --Prov. xxiii. 32. 4. To take a bait into the mouth, as a fish does; hence, to take a tempting offer. 5. To take or keep a firm hold; as, the anchor bites.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bite Bite, n. [OE. bite, bit, bitt, AS. bite bite, fr. b[=i]tan to bite, akin to Icel. bit, OS. biti, G. biss. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit.] 1. The act of seizing with the teeth or mouth; the act of wounding or separating with the teeth or mouth; a seizure with the teeth or mouth, as of a bait; as, to give anything a hard bite. I have known a very good fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite. --Walton. 2. The act of puncturing or abrading with an organ for taking food, as is done by some insects. 3. The wound made by biting; as, the pain of a dog's or snake's bite; the bite of a mosquito. 4. A morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting. 5. The hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another. 6. A cheat; a trick; a fraud. [Colloq.] The baser methods of getting money by fraud and bite, by deceiving and overreaching. --Humorist. 7. A sharper; one who cheats. [Slang] --Johnson. 8. (Print.) A blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the type and paper.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bites, biting, bit, bitten) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you bite something, you use your teeth to cut into it, for example in order to eat it or break it. If an animal or person bites you, they use their teeth to hurt or injure you. Both sisters bit their nails as children... He bit into his sandwich... He had bitten the cigarette in two... Llamas won't bite or kick. VERB: V n, V into n, V n adv/prep, V 2. A bite of something, especially food, is the action of biting it. He took another bite of apple... You cannot eat a bun in one bite. N-COUNT: oft N of n • A bite is also the amount of food you take into your mouth when you bite it. Look forward to eating the food and enjoy every bite. N-COUNT 3. If you have a bite to eat, you have a small meal or a snack. (INFORMAL) It was time to go home for a little rest and a bite to eat. N-SING: a N, usu N to-inf 4. If a snake or a small insect bites you, it makes a mark or hole in your skin, and often causes the surrounding area of your skin to become painful or itchy. We were all badly bitten by mosquitoes. VERB: V n, also V 5. A bite is an injury or a mark on your body where an animal, snake, or small insect has bitten you. Any dog bite, no matter how small, needs immediate medical attention. N-COUNT: oft n N 6. When an action or policy begins to bite, it begins to have a serious or harmful effect. As the sanctions begin to bite there will be more political difficulties ahead... The recession started biting deeply into British industry. VERB: V, V prep/adv 7. If an object bites into a surface, it presses hard against it or cuts into it. There may even be some wire or nylon biting into the flesh... VERB: V prep/adv, also V, V n 8. If you say that a food or drink has bite, you like it because it has a strong or sharp taste. ...the addition of tartaric acid to give the wine some bite. N-UNCOUNT [approval] 9. If the air or the wind has a bite, it feels very cold. There was a bite in the air, a smell perhaps of snow. N-SING: a N 10. If a fish bites when you are fishing, it takes the hook or bait at the end of your fishing line in its mouth. After half an hour, the fish stopped biting and we moved on. VERB: V • Bite is also a noun. If I don't get a bite in a few minutes I lift the rod and twitch the bait. N-COUNT 11. see also love bite, nail-biting 12. If someone bites the hand that feeds them, they behave badly or in an ungrateful way towards someone who they depend on. She may be cynical about the film industry, but ultimately she has no intention of biting the hand that feeds her. PHRASE: Vs inflect 13. If you bite your lip or your tongue, you stop yourself from saying something that you want to say, because it would be the wrong thing to say in the circumstances. I must learn to bite my lip... He bit his tongue as he found himself on the point of saying 'follow that car'. PHRASE: V and N inflect 14. If something takes a bite out of a sum of money, part of the money is spent or taken away in order to pay for it. Local taxes are going to be taking a bigger bite out of people's income than they ever have before. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 15. someone's bark is worse than their bite: see bark to bite the bullet: see bullet to bite off more than one can chew: see chew to bite the dust: see dust

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Gnaw, chew, champ. 2. Pierce with the teeth, tear, rend, nip. 3. Sting, burn, cause to smart, make smart, make tingle. 4. Grip, grasp, catch, grapple, clutch, cling to, catch hold of, take firm hold of. 5. Blast, nip (as frost), blight. 6. Defraud, deceive, cheat, dupe, trick, gull, overreach, jockey, cozen, chouse, outwit, bamboozle, impose upon, beguile, mislead, inveigle, gammon. II. v. n. See 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 under preceding.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A cheat; also a woman's privities. The cull wapt the mort's bite; the fellow enjoyed the wench heartily. Cant.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To over-reach, or impose; also to steal.--Cant. --Biting was once esteemed a kind of wit, similar to the humbug. An instance of it is given in the Spectator: A man under sentence of death having sold his body to a surgeon rather below the market price, on receiving the money, cried, A bite! I am to be hanged in chains.--To bite the roger; to steal a portmanteau. To bite the wiper, to steal a handkerchief. To bite on the bridle; to be pinched or reduced to difficulties. Hark ye, friend, whether do they bite in the collar or the cod-piece? Water wit to anglers.

Moby Thesaurus

acerbity, acidity, acridity, acrimony, acuminate, acute pain, adhere to, afflict, agonize, ail, allotment, allowance, and sinker, astringency, auger, bait, be a sucker, be keen, be taken in, bear hug, benumb, big end, bigger half, bit, bite the tongue, bitingness, bitterness, bolus, bore, boring pain, briskness, bristle with, broach, budget, burn, causticity, chafe, champ, charley horse, chaw, chew, chew the cud, chew up, chill, chomp, chunk, clamp, clasp, cleave to, clench, clinch, cling, clinging, clip, clutch, collation, commission, contingent, convulse, corrode, countersink, cramp, cramps, crick, crucify, crunch, cud, cut, cuttingness, darting pain, deal, death grip, destiny, devour, distress, dividend, dole, drill, drive, eat, eat away, eat out, eat up, edge, effectiveness, embrace, empierce, end, equal share, erode, etch, excruciate, fall for, fate, fester, fierceness, firm hold, fix, foothold, footing, force, forcefulness, freeze, freeze to, fret, frost, frostbite, fulgurant pain, gall, ginger, girdle pain, give pain, gnash, gnaw, gnawing, go for, go through, gob, gobble up, gore, gouge, gouge out, grapple, grasp, grate, grind, grip, gripe, griping, gulp down, gum, guts, half, halver, hang on, hang on to, harrow, harshness, have an edge, helping, hitch, hold, hold fast, hold on, hold on to, hold tight, hole, honeycomb, hotness, hug, hurt, impale, impressiveness, incisiveness, inflame, inflict pain, interest, iron grip, irritate, jumping pain, keenness, keep hold of, kick, kill by inches, kink, lacerate, lance, lancinating pain, lap up, lick, light lunch, light meal, light repast, line, liveliness, lot, martyr, martyrize, masticate, measure, meed, mess, modicum, moiety, mordacity, mordancy, morsel, mouth, mouthful, mumble, munch, needle, nervosity, nervousness, never let go, nibble, nip, nippiness, nosh, numb, pain, pang, paroxysm, part, penetrate, pepperiness, percentage, perforate, piece, pierce, pinch, pink, poignancy, point, portion, power, prick, prolong the agony, proportion, punch, puncture, purchase, put to torture, quantum, quid, quota, raciness, rack, rake-off, rankle, rasp, ration, ream, ream out, refreshments, refrigerate, relish, riddle, rigor, roughness, rub, ruminate, run through, scour, scrap, scrunch, segment, seizure, severity, share, sharp pain, sharpness, shoot, shooting, shooting pain, sinew, sinewiness, sip, skewer, slice, small share, snack, snap, snappiness, spasm, spear, spice, spiciness, spike, spit, spot of lunch, stab, stabbing pain, stake, stick, stick to, sting, stitch, stock, strength, stridency, stringency, strong language, sup, swallow, swallow anything, swallow hook, swallow whole, swing at, take the bait, tang, tanginess, tap, tartness, taste, teeth, thrill, throes, tight grip, toehold, tooth, tormen, torment, torture, transfix, transpierce, trenchancy, trepan, trephine, tumble for, tweak, twinge, twist, twitch, vehemence, vigor, vigorousness, violence, virulence, vitality, wear away, wound, wrench, wring, zest, zestfulness, zip