bitebite /baɪt/ verb (past tense bit /bɪt/, past participle bitten /ˈbɪtn/, present participle biting) 1 
to use your teeth, especially to eat food► bite
to use your teeth, especially to eat food► bite to cut or crush something with your teeth, or attack someone with your teeth: The dog tried to bite the mailman. He bit into the apple.
► take a bite to bite off a piece of food and eat it: She took a bite of her sandwich.
► chew to bite food in your mouth several times. You chew food in order to make it softer and easier to swallow: Don’t eat so fast - slow down and chew your food so you don’t choke.
► nibble to eat food by taking a lot of small bites: She didn’t feel well and just nibbled on a cracker. Rabbits had nibbled the lettuce growing in the garden.
► gnaw if an animal gnaws something hard, it bites it many times: The dog was in the yard gnawing on a bone. They gnawed at the bones to get off all the meat.
► peck if a bird pecks something, it quickly bites it with its beak: Hens pecked at the corn scattered on the ground. ➔ If a person pecks at his or her food, he or she is not eating very much: Polly just pecked at her dinner.
2 an insect, snake, etc. bites► bite if an insect or snake bites you, it hurts you by putting poison into your skin: Many kinds of spiders bite, but only some spiders are dangerous.
► sting if an insect, jellyfish, scorpion, etc. stings you, it hurts you by putting poison into your skin: A wasp stung him on the arm.
SYNONYM CHECKSting or bite?You use sting for bees, wasps, jellyfish, and scorpions, and bite for mosquitoes, ants, spiders, and snakes.