- to cut, wound, or tear with the teeth: She bit the apple greedily. The lion bit his trainer.
- to grip or hold with the teeth: Stop biting your lip!
- to sting, as does an insect.
- to cause to smart or sting: an icy wind that bit our faces.
- to sever with the teeth (often followed by off): Don't bite your nails. The child bit off a large piece of the candy bar.
- to start to eat (often followed by into): She bit into her steak.
- to clamp the teeth firmly on or around (often followed by on): He bit hard on the stick while they removed the bullet from his leg.
- Informal.
- to take advantage of; cheat; deceive: I got bitten in a mail-order swindle.
- to annoy or upset; anger: What's biting you, sorehead?
- to eat into or corrode, as does an acid.
- to cut or pierce with, or as with, a weapon: The sword split his helmet and bit him fatally.
- to etch with acid (a copper or other surface) in such parts as are left bare of a protective coating.
- to take firm hold or act effectively on: We need a clamp to bite the wood while the glue dries.
- to make a decided impression on; affect.
- to press the teeth into something; attack with the jaws, bill, sting, etc.; snap: Does your parrot bite?
- (of fish) to take bait: The fish aren't biting today.
- to accept an offer or suggestion, especially one intended to trick or deceive: I knew it was a mistake, but I bit anyway.
- to admit defeat in guessing: I'll bite, who is it?
- to act effectively; grip; hold: This wood is so dry the screws don't bite.
- to be notably repellent, disappointing, poor, etc.; suck.
- an act of biting.
- a wound made by biting: a deep bite.
- a cutting, stinging, or nipping effect: the bite of an icy wind; the bite of whiskey on the tongue.
- a piece bitten off: Chew each bite carefully.
- a small meal: Let's have a bite before the theater.
- a portion severed from the whole: the government's weekly bite of my paycheck.
- a morsel of food: not a bite to eat.
- the occlusion of one's teeth: The dentist said I had a good bite.
- Machinery.
- the catch or hold that one object or one part of a mechanical apparatus has on another.
- a surface brought into contact to obtain a hold or grip, as in a lathe chuck or similar device.
- the amount of material that a mechanical shovel or the like can carry at one time.
- sharpness; incisiveness; effectiveness: The bite of his story is spoiled by his slovenly style.
- the roughness of the surface of a file.
- the maximum angle, measured from the center of a roll in a rolling mill, between a perpendicular and a line to the point of contact where a given object to be rolled will enter between the rolls.
- to attempt something that exceeds one's capacity: In trying to build a house by himself, he bit off more than he could chew.
- to respond with anger or impatience to someone's question or comment: He'll bite your head off if you ask for anything.
- bullet (def. 7).
- dust (def. 21).
- to repay kindness with malice or injury: When he berates his boss, he is biting the hand that feeds him.
- put the bite on, Slang.
- to solicit or attempt to borrow money or something of value from.
- to press for money, as in extortion: They found out about his prison record and began to put the bite on him.
- to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
- (of animals, insects, etc) to injure by puncturing or tearing (the skin or flesh) with the teeth, fangs, etc, esp as a natural characteristic
- to cut or penetrate, as with a knife
- (of corrosive material such as acid) to eat away or into
- to smart or cause to smart; sting
- (of a fish) to take or attempt to take the bait or lure
- to take firm hold of or act effectively upon
- to grip or hold (a workpiece) with a tool or chuck
- (of a screw, thread, etc) to cut into or grip (an object, material, etc)
- to annoy or worry
- to cheat
- to ask (for); scrounge from
- to attempt a task beyond one's capability
- to face up to (pain, trouble, etc) with fortitude; be stoical
- to respond harshly and rudely (to)
- bite the dust See dust (def. 11)
- to repay kindness with injury or ingratitude
- after an unpleasant experience one is cautious in similar situations
- to ask someone for money
- the act of biting
- a thing or amount bitten off
- a wound, bruise, or sting inflicted by biting
- an attempt by a fish to take the bait or lure
- an incisive or penetrating effect or quality
- a light meal; snack
- a cutting, stinging, or smarting sensation
- the depth of cut of a machine tool
- the grip or hold applied by a tool or chuck to a workpiece
- the angle or manner of contact between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed naturally
- the surface of a file or rasp with cutting teeth
- the corrosive action of acid, as on a metal etching plate