bite

The definition of a bite is the act of using your teeth to dig into something, a wound inflicted by someone's teeth digging into something, a quick snack, or an amount cut off.

(noun)

  1. An example of a bite is the action of a person using his teeth to dig into an apple.
  2. An example of a bite is the wound created when a dog digs his teeth into a person.
  3. An example of a bite is a sandwich.
  4. An example of a bite is a deduction given on a bill.

To bite is defined as to use your teeth to dig into something, or being enticed to get interested in or involved in something.

(verb)

  1. An example of bite is when you use your teeth to eat a piece of an apple.
  2. An example of bite is when you hear a sales pitch and decide to learn more about the product.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See bite in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb bit , bitten or bit, biting

  1. to seize, pierce, or cut with the teeth or with parts like jaws
  2. to cut into, as with a sharp weapon
  3. to sting, as an insect
  4. to hurt in a sharp, stinging way
  5. to eat into; corrode
  6. to infect or possess: used esp. in the passive: bitten by a lust for power
  7. to cheat or trick: used esp. in the passive

Origin: ME biten < OE bītan < IE base *bheid-, to split, crack > beetle, bitter, L findere, to split (see fission)

intransitive verb

    1. to press or snap the teeth (into, at, etc.)
    2. to have a tendency to do this
  1. to cause a biting sensation or have a biting effect
  2. to get or keep a tight hold; grip: the car wheels bit into the snow
  3. to seize a bait
  4. to be caught, as by a trick
  5. Slang suck ()

noun

  1. the act of biting
  2. biting quality; sting: a bite to his words
  3. a wound, bruise, or sting from biting
    1. amount of food bitten off; mouthful or morsel
    2. food
    3. a meal, esp. a light meal or snack
  4. a tight hold or grip
  5. an edge or surface that grips
  6. Informal an amount cut off or sum deducted: the tax takes quite a bite from my paycheck
  7. Slang money or price asked; cost; expense: with the: usually used in the phrase , to press for a loan, gift, or bribe of money
  8. Dentistry the way the upper and lower teeth meet
  9. Etching the corrosion of the metal plate by the acid

See bite in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb bit bit (bĭt), bit·ten (bĭtˈn) or bit, bit·ing, bites
verb, transitive
  1. To cut, grip, or tear with or as if with the teeth.
  2. a. To pierce the skin of with the teeth, fangs, or mouthparts.
    b. To sting with a stinger.
  3. To cut into with or as if with a sharp instrument: The ax bit the log deeply.
  4. To grip, grab, or seize: bald treads that couldn't bite the icy road; bitten by a sudden desire to travel.
  5. To eat into; corrode.
  6. To cause to sting or be painful: cold that bites the skin; a conscience bitten by remorse.
verb, intransitive
  1. To grip, cut into, or injure something with or as if with the teeth.
  2. To have a stinging effect.
  3. To have a sharp taste.
  4. To take or swallow bait.
  5. To be taken in by a ploy or deception: tried to sell the Brooklyn Bridge, but no one bit.
  6. Vulgar Slang To be highly disagreeable or annoying.
noun
  1. The act of biting.
  2. A skin wound or puncture produced by an animal's teeth or mouthparts: the bite of an insect.
  3. a. A stinging or smarting sensation.
    b. An incisive, penetrating quality: the bite of satire.
  4. An amount removed by or as if by an act of biting: Rezoning took a bite out of the town's residential area.
  5. An excerpt or fragment taken from something larger, such as a film.
  6. a. An amount of food taken into the mouth at one time; a mouthful.
    b. Informal A light meal or snack.
  7. The act or an instance of taking bait: fished all day without a bite; an ad that got a few bites but no final sales.
  8. a. A secure grip or hold applied by a tool or machine upon a working surface.
    b. The part of a tool or machine that presses against and maintains a firm hold on a working surface.
  9. Dentistry The angle at which the upper and lower teeth meet; occlusion.
  10. The corrosive action of acid upon an etcher's metal plate.
  11. Slang An amount of money appropriated or withheld: trying to avoid the tax bite.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English biten

Origin: , from Old English bītan; see bheid- in Indo-European roots

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Related Forms:

  • bitˈa·ble, biteˈa·ble adjective
  • bitˈer noun

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