bite

The word “bite” means to use the teeth to cut into, grip, or wound something. In plain terms, to clamp down with the teeth, or (figuratively) for something negative to start taking effect.

“Bite” is pronounced byt (/baɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “bite” used in a sentence: “The puppy loves to bite on old shoes.”

Depending on how it is used, “bite” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “bite” comes from Old English. From Old English bītan, from a very old Germanic root meaning "to split" — the same root that eventually gave us the word "bit".

“Bite” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Bite” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to use the teeth to cut into, grip, or wound something.

Bite is an irregular verb: the simple past tense is "bit" and the past participle is "bitten." So you would say the dog bit him yesterday, but he has been bitten before.

Bite means to use the teeth to cut into, grip, or wound something in a single action. Chew means to keep grinding food with the teeth over and over, so you bite off a piece first and then chew it.

Bite can describe something that has an unpleasant or harmful effect, often after a delay, as in "the tax rises will start to bite next year." This figurative sense keeps the idea of a sharp, painful impact without involving actual teeth.