Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bite off more than one can chew

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.57 in modern English

Syllables: bite of-f -more than one -can chew
IPA

48

Scrabble Score

25

Letters

4

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.

Example Sentences

"I think I bit off more than I could chew when I agreed to paint this house by myself."

Inflected Forms

bites off more than one can chew (present, singular) biting off more than one can chew (participle, present) bit off more than one could chew (past) bitten off more than one could chew (participle, past)

Phrases

dog that caught the car have eyes bigger than one's stomach grasp all, lose all eat an elephant one bite at a time too many balls in the air too much on one's plate

Frequently Paired Words

dog that caught the car have eyes bigger than one's stomach grasp all, lose all eat an elephant one bite at a time too many balls in the air too much on one's plate

Synonyms

cut off more than one can chew

Questions

What does bite off more than one can chew mean?: To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.

How to pronounce bite off more than one can chew

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