13 PHRASE 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'.
14 PHRASE 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.
15 someone's bark is worse than their bite → see bark
16 to bite the bullet → see bullet
17 to bite off more than one can chew → see chew
18 to bite the dust → see dust SYNONYMS bite VERB 1
nibble: He started to nibble his biscuit.
gnaw: Woodlice attack living plants and gnaw at the stems.
chew: Be certain to eat slowly and chew your food extremely well.
crunch: Richard crunched into the apple. COLLOCATIONS bite NOUN 5
noun + bite : flea, insect, mosquito, spider, tick; dog, shark, snake
adjective + bite : fatal
bi te-sized also bite-size
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Bite-sized pieces of food are small enough to fit easily in your mouth. □ …bite-sized pieces of cheese.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as bite-sized , you like it because it is small enough to be considered or dealt with easily. [APPROVAL ] □ …bite-sized newspaper items.
bit|ing /ba I t I ŋ/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Biting wind or cold is extremely cold. □ …a raw, biting northerly wind. □ Antarctic air brought biting cold to southern Chile on Thursday.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Biting criticism or wit is very harsh or unkind, and is often caused by such feelings as anger or dislike. □ …a furore caused by the author's biting satire on the Church.
bit|map /b I tmæp/ (bitmaps , bitmapping , bitmapped ) N‑COUNT A bitmap is a type of graphics file on a computer. [COMPUTING ] □ …bitmap graphics for representing complex images such as photographs. ● VERB Bitmap is also a verb. □ [V -ed] Bitmapped maps require huge storage space.
bi t part (bit parts ) also bit-part N‑COUNT A bit part is a small and unimportant role for an actor in a film or play.
bit|ten /b I t ə n/ Bitten is the past participle of bite .
bit|ter ◆◇◇ /b I tə r / (bitterest , bitters )
1 ADJ In a bitter argument or conflict, people argue very angrily or fight very fiercely. □ …the scene of bitter fighting during the Second World War. □ …a bitter attack on the Government's failure to support manufacturing. ● bit|ter|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ Any such thing would be bitterly opposed by most of the world's democracies. □ …a bitterly fought football match. ● bit|ter|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The rift within the organization reflects the growing bitterness of the dispute.
2 ADJ If someone is bitter after a disappointing experience or after being treated unfairly, they continue to feel angry about it. □ She is said to be very bitter about the way she was sacked. □ His long life was marked by bitter personal and political memories. ● bit|ter|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ 'And he sure didn't help us,' Grant said bitterly. □ …the party bureaucrats who bitterly resented their loss of power. ● bit|ter|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ I still feel bitterness and anger towards the person who knocked me down.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A bitter experience makes you feel very disappointed. You can also use bitter to emphasize feelings of disappointment. □ I think the decision was a bitter blow from which he never quite recovered. □ The statement was greeted with bitter disappointment by many of the other delegates. ● bit|ter|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ I was bitterly disappointed to have lost yet another race so near the finish.
4 ADJ Bitter weather, or a bitter wind, is extremely cold. □ Outside, a bitter east wind was accompanied by flurries of snow. ● bit|ter|ly ADV [ADV adj] □ It's been bitterly cold here in Moscow.
5 ADJ A bitter taste is sharp, not sweet, and often slightly unpleasant. □ The leaves taste rather bitter.
6 N‑VAR Bitter is a kind of beer that is light brown in colour. [BRIT ] □ …a pint of bitter.
7 PHRASE If you say that you will continue doing something to the bitter end , especially something difficult or unpleasant, you are emphasizing that you will continue doing it until it is completely finished. [EMPHASIS ] □ The guerrillas would fight to the bitter end, he said, in order to achieve their main goal.
8 a bitter pill → see pill
bit|ter|ly /b I tə r li/ ADV [ADV adj] You use bitterly when you are describing an attitude which involves strong, unpleasant emotions such as anger or dislike. □ We are bitterly upset at what has happened.
bitter|sweet /b I tə r swiː t/ also bitter-sweet
1 ADJ If you describe an experience as bittersweet , you mean that it has some happy aspects and some sad ones. □ …bittersweet memories of his first appearance for the team.
2 ADJ A bittersweet taste seems bitter and sweet at the same time. □ …a wine with a bitter-sweet flavour.