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bite the bullet

bite the bul·let
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [bahyt stressed th ee boo l-it]
    • /baɪt stressed ði ˈbʊl ɪt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [bahyt stressed th ee boo l-it]
    • /baɪt stressed ði ˈbʊl ɪt/

Definitions of bite the bullet words

  • noun bite the bullet to face up to (pain, trouble, etc) with fortitude; be stoical 3
  • noun bite the bullet to confront a painful situation with fortitude or stoicism 3
  • noun bite the bullet a small metal projectile, part of a cartridge, for firing from small arms. 1
  • noun bite the bullet a cartridge. 1
  • noun bite the bullet a small ball. 1
  • noun bite the bullet Printing. a heavy dot for marking paragraphs or otherwise calling attention to or itemizing particular sections of text, especially in display advertising. 1
See all 12 definitions of bite the bullet

Information block about the term

Origin of bite the bullet

First appearance:

before 1550
One of the 31% oldest English words
1550-60; < Middle French boullette, equivalent to boulle ball (see bowl2) + -ette -ette

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Bite the bullet

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Bite the bullet

bite the bullet popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 96% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

bite the bullet usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for bite the bullet

verb bite the bullet

  • cross the rubicon — If you say that someone has crossed the Rubicon, you mean that they have reached a point where they cannot change a decision or course of action.
  • face the music — an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.
  • take it — to get into one's hold or possession by voluntary action: to take a cigarette out of a box; to take a pen and begin to write.
  • pay the piper — a person who plays on a pipe.
All 7 Synonyms of bite the bullet

See also

Matching words

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