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bit1

Syllabification: (bit)
Pronunciation: /bit/
Translate bit | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bit

noun

  • 1a small piece, part, or quantity of something:give the duck a bit of bread he read bits of his work to me
  • (a bit) a fair amount:there’s a bit to talk about there
  • (a bit) a short time or distance:I fell asleep for a bit
  • [with adjective] informal a set of actions or ideas associated with a specific group or activity:she’s gone off to do her theatrical bit
  • 2North American informal dated a unit of 12 1/ 2 cents (used only in even multiples):the sideshow admission was twenty-five cents, two bits, the fourth of a dollar

Phrases

a bit

somewhat; to some extent:he came back looking a bit annoyed

bit by bit

gradually:the school was built bit by bit over the years

a bit of a —

used to suggest that something is not severe or extreme, or is true only to a limited extent:he’s a bit of a womanizer
only a little —; a mere —:we went on a bit of a walk

bits and pieces

an assortment of small items:weird bits and pieces of paraphernalia

do one's bit

informal make a useful contribution to an effort or cause:she was keen to do her bit to help others

every bit as

see every.

not a bit

not at all:I’m not a bit tired

to bits

  • 1into pieces:he smashed it to bits with a hammer
  • 2 informal very much; to a great degree:we’ve got two great kids whom I love to bits

Origin:

Old English bita 'bite, mouthful', of Germanic origin; related to German Bissen, also to bite

bit in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bit in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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