Bite Idioms (With Meaning and Examples)

Welcome to our post about idioms that include the word “bite.” Even kids can understand these fun phrases, which are often used in everyday conversation. We’ll explore what they mean and how to use them in sentences.

Bite Idioms

Here are 20 bite idioms in English with meaning and example sentences for each.

1. Bite the bullet

Meaning: Accept something difficult
Example: I had to bite the bullet and pay the fine.

2. Bite the dust

Meaning: Fail or fall down
Example: My old laptop finally bit the dust.

3. Bite your tongue

Meaning: Stop yourself from saying something
Example: I had to bite my tongue during the meeting.

4. Bite off more than you can chew

Meaning: Take on a task that is too big
Example: He bit off more than he could chew with that project.

5. Have a bite

Meaning: Eat a small amount of food
Example: Let’s have a bite at the new café.

6. Sound bite

Meaning: A short extract from a recorded interview
Example: The politician’s sound bite was on the news.

7. Bite the hand that feeds you

Meaning: Harm someone who supports you
Example: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

8. Bite your nails

Meaning: Show nervousness
Example: She was biting her nails during the interview.

9. Bite back

Meaning: Retaliate or respond harshly
Example: He bit back when criticized.

10. Bite into

Meaning: Sink teeth into something
Example: She bit into the juicy apple.

11. Make my head bite

Meaning: To think intensely
Example: This puzzle is making my head bite.

12. Bite one’s lip

Meaning: To hold back a reaction
Example: He bit his lip to avoid laughing.

13. Take a bite out of

Meaning: Reduce something significantly
Example: Taxes took a big bite out of my paycheck.

14. Bite the air

Meaning: To argue pointlessly
Example: They were just biting the air in their debate.

15. Bite-sized

Meaning: Small enough to be eaten in one bite
Example: She served bite-sized cupcakes at the party.

16. Bite of the reality sandwich

Meaning: Face reality
Example: He got a bite of the reality sandwich with those test results.

17. Bite one’s thumb at

Meaning: To insult someone
Example: They bit their thumb at the rivals.

18. Bite your lip

Meaning: Keep from saying something
Example: I had to bite my lip to not scream.

19. Fish or cut bait

Meaning: Make a decision or give up
Example: It’s time to fish or cut bait on this project.

20. Bite one’s head off

Meaning: Respond angrily
Example: She bit his head off for being late.

Bite Idioms