bite
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bytIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbaɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
To grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
“Gunny invariably tried to bite her.”
transitive
To hold something by clamping one's teeth.
intransitive
To attack with the teeth.
intransitive
To take hold; to establish firm contact with.
intransitiveof a fish
To bite a baited hook or other lure and thus be caught.
noun
The act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws
A wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person
The act of biting.
The wound left behind after having been bitten.
angling
An instance of a fish taking the bait
“After fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite.”
The swelling of one's skin caused by an insect's mouthparts or sting.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
Used this way, bite is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Gripverb
“Gunny invariably tried to bite her.”
Fishnoun
“After fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite.”
More ways to use bite
- “Gunny invariably tried to bite her.”verb
- “After fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Utter.
A removable dental appliance that is worn in the palate for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
Bite off with a quick bite.
A bite inflicted by a dog.
Sting inflicted by a flea.
A painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Either of two infectious diseases transmitted to humans by the bite of a rat or mouse.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.