Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bite off

/ˈbaɪˌtɒf/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.30 in modern English

Syllables: bite off
IPA: /ˈbaɪˌtɒf/

15

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To bite so hard as to remove something from its source.

verb

To accept or commit oneself to a task, project, notion, or responsibility, especially one which presents challenges.

Transitive verb

verb

To acquire, especially in an abrupt or forceful manner.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Then she cocked her head back, opened her mouth, and bit off the trout's top half."
"In between what she called the "goody-good" or "frilly-knickers" Hollywood films, she bit off some more demanding parts back home."
""And for the next couple of years, with Nokia having bitten off so much, Vuorilehto is the right guy for the task they face.""
"We have set a plan that we believe everyone at News Corp. will bite off on."
"They think it's politically too much for the government to bite off right now."
"To thicken that buffer zone Britain joined other powers in biting off larger chunks of China."

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈbaɪˌtɒf/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

bites off (present, singular) biting off (participle, present) bit off (past) bitten off (participle, past)

Phrases

bite off more than one can chew

Synonyms

accept attempt tackle undertake appropriate grab snap at

Questions

How do you pronounce bite off?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbaɪˌtɒf/.
What does bite off mean?: To bite so hard as to remove something from its source.

How to pronounce bite off

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bite off”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbaɪˌtɒf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bite off”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bite off” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.