bite

[ bahyt ]
/ baɪt /

verb (used with object), bit, bit·ten or bit, bit·ing.

verb (used without object), bit, bit·ten or bit, bit·ing.

noun

Idioms for bite

Origin of bite

before 1000; Middle English biten, Old English bītan; cognate with Old High German bīzan (German beissen), Gothic beitan, Old Norse bīta; akin to Latin findere to split

OTHER WORDS FROM bite

bit·a·ble, bite·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bite

bight bite byte

British Dictionary definitions for bite off more than one can chew

bite
/ (baɪt) /

verb bites, biting, bit or bitten

noun

Derived forms of bite

biter, noun

Word Origin for bite

Old English bītan; related to Latin findere to split, Sanskrit bhedati he splits

Medical definitions for bite off more than one can chew

bite
[ bīt ]

v.

To cut, grip, or tear with the teeth.
To pierce the skin of with the teeth, fangs, or mouthparts.

n.

The act of biting.
A puncture or laceration of the skin by the teeth of an animal or the mouthparts of an insect or similar organism.

Idioms and Phrases with bite off more than one can chew (1 of 2)

bite off more than one can chew

Take on more work or a bigger task than one can handle, as in With two additional jobs, Bill is clearly biting off more than he can chew. Cautions against taking on too much appear in medieval sources, although this particular metaphor, alluding to taking in more food than one can chew, dates only from about 1870.

Idioms and Phrases with bite off more than one can chew (2 of 2)

bite