english
1
general::
noun act of biting/amount of food VERB + BITE have, take PREP. between ~s She tried to talk between bites. | ~ from I took a bite from the apple. | ~ of Can I have a bite of your sandwich? | ~ out of She took a bite out of the slab of cake. of an insect/animal ADJ. insect, mosquito, snake, etc. VERB + BITE get I got a lot of mosquito bites last night. BITE + NOUN mark PREP. ~ from a bite from a poisonous snake small amount to eat ADJ. quick VERB + BITE grab, have We managed to grab a bite at the theatre before the show started. PREP. ~ of a quick bite of lunch PHRASES a bite to eat We'll have a bite to eat in town., verb use your teeth ADV. badly Their cat was badly bitten by a dog. | off He bit off a chunk of bread. PREP. at He bit at his lower lip. | into She bit into the apple. | through The dog had bitten right through its rope. PHRASES bite sth in half/two have an effect ADV. deep, hard As the recession bites harder, many small companies are going bankrupt. VERB + BITE begin to, start to After two cold months, the coal shortage was beginning to bite.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
In addition to the idioms beginning with BITE, Also see BARK IS WORSE THAN ONE'S BITE; PUT THE BITE ON; SOUND BITE. Also see BITTEN.
American Heritage Idioms
3
general::
bite
to use your teeth to cut, crush, or chew something:
• The dog bit me! • I sometimes bite my fingernails when I’m nervous. • He bit into the apple.
chew
to keep biting something that is in your mouth:
• Helen was chewing a piece of gum. • He was chewing on a cigar.
gnaw
if an animal gnaws something, it bites it repeatedly:
• The dog was in the yard gnawing on a bone.
nip somebody/give somebody a nip
to give someone or something a small sharp bite:
• When I took the hamster out of his cage, he nipped me.
nibble
to take a lot of small bites from something:
• A fish nibbled at the bait. • She sat at her desk, nibbling her sandwich.
sink your teeth into somebody/something
to bite someone or something with a lot of force, so that your teeth go right into them:
• The dog sank its teeth into my leg. • He sank his teeth into the steak.
chomp on something
informal to bite something and chew it in a noisy way:
• The donkey was chomping on a carrot. • He was chomping away on big slice of toast.
sting
if an insect stings you, it makes a very small hole in your skin. You use sting about bees, wasps, and scorpions, and bite about mosquitoes, ants, spiders, and snakes:
• She stepped on a wasps’ nest and must have been stung at least 20 times.
Longman-Thesaurus
4
general::
Phrase(s): *a bite (to eat)
to get something to eat; to get food that can be eaten quickly. (*Typically: get ~; grab ~; have ~.) • I need a few minutes to grab a bite to eat. • Bob often tries to get a bite between meetings.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
5
general::
bite sth back
[ M ] UK
to stop yourself from saying something or from expressing an emotion
• bite back tears/laughter, bite into sth
to reduce something valuable
• People are worried about inflation biting into their savings and investments.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
6
general::
noun
mouthful:
She took a big bite.
verb
attack with teeth:
The dog will bite strangers.
Simple Definitions