bit

BIT/bɪt/

Pluralbits

Verbbits, bitting, bitted

25 meanings of bit

Practice

1
a littlenouncountable
A small amount of something.
Like a small crumb broken off a big cookie.
There's still a bit of milk left in the fridge.
She added a bit of salt to the soup.
UsageSay a bit of: a bit of salt.
Similartouch, drop, spot
Oppositelot
2
partnouncountable
A part or section of a larger thing.
Like one slice cut from a whole pie.
She saved the best bit of the story for last.
This bit of the road is closed for repairs.
Similarpiece, portion, chunk, fragment, segment
3
at allnounusually singular
A little, as in a bit late. With not, it means not at all.
The bus was a bit late this morning.
Don't worry, I'm not a bit angry with you.
UsageSay a bit late, but a bit of a problem before a noun.
Similarlittle
Note
4
binary digitnouncountable
The smallest unit of computer data, which is either a 1 or a 0.
Like a light switch that is either on or off.
Each bit can only be a 1 or a 0.
The number two in binary is written with two bits: 1 and 0.
UsageEight bits make one byte.
Note
5
short whilenouncolloquialusually singular
A short time, as in 'wait a bit'.
Like a quick rest between two long tasks.
Wait here a bit while I get the car.
Let's rest for a bit before we keep walking.
UsageSay in a bit for soon, and for a bit for a short time.
Similarmoment, minute, second
6
sank teethverb
Past tense of bite.
The dog bit the mailman yesterday afternoon.
She bit into the apple and smiled.
UsageToday the dog bit me; after has or was, use bitten.
Note
7
nouncountable
A short funny part of a show, or a joke someone keeps pretending is real.
Like one song in a long concert.
The comedian's best bit was about airports.
He kept saying he was a famous singer as a bit, just to make us laugh.
UsagePeople say do a bit and drop the bit.
Similarroutine, sketch, skit, joke, gag
8
small rolenounabbreviationellipsis
Short for bit part: a very small acting role with few or no lines.
Her first job in film was a bit as a nurse.
He spent years playing bits before he got his first lead role.
UsageOften a bit as + a role: a bit as a nurse.

Less common meanings

9
drill cutternouncountable
The part you put into a drill or screwdriver to make holes or turn screws.
He fitted a new bit into the drill before starting.
Use a sharp bit so the wood doesn't split.
UsageOften called a drill bit.
10
horse mouthpiecenouncountable
A bar, usually metal, put in a horse's mouth and joined to the reins, used to steer it.
Like a steering wheel for a horse, but held in its mouth.
The rider slipped the bit into the horse's mouth.
A gentle bit is kinder to a young pony.
Similarsnaffle, pelham
Note
11
with bite marksadjectivein compounds
Bitten, usually in words that name what did the biting, like dog-bit or bug-bit.
A skinny, flea-bit cat slept under our back porch.
We came back from the lake all bug-bit and sunburned.
UsageAlone, say bitten; bit goes after the animal: dog-bit.
Note
12
prison termnounslangcountable
A period of time spent in prison, often a short one.
He got out after a short bit and found a job right away.
While he was away on his bit, his sister wrote to him every week.
UsagePeople do a bit or serve a bit in prison.
Similarstretch, sentence, term
Note
13
fit a horseverbtransitive
To put a bridle on a horse, with the bar of the bridle in its mouth.
Grandpa showed me how to bit a horse gently.
She bitted the pony quickly and led it out of the barn.
Similarbridle
14
key endnouncountable
The shaped part of a key that goes into the lock and moves the parts inside.
Like the teeth on a key that push the lock open.
The bit of the key was worn down and would not turn the lock.
He filed the bit until it fit the new lock.
15
nounhistoricalhistoricalCanadaUScountable
An old unit of money worth one eighth of a dollar, or a coin worth that amount.
He left after shaking her down for four bits for carrying the bags.
1966, Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49Here, bits means coins worth one eighth of a dollar, so four bits is fifty cents.
A quarter is two bits.
Here, bits means units worth one eighth of a dollar each.
Note
16
plane bladenouncountable
The sharp metal blade in a tool used to shave wood smooth.
Like the blade in a pencil sharpener that shaves off thin curls.
He took the bit out of his plane to sharpen it.
The plane's bit had grown dull after years of use.
Similarblade, iron
17
axe edgenouncountable
The sloped front edge of an axe head where the sharp cutting edge is.
He ground the bit of the axe to a keen edge.
The axe's bit chipped when it struck a hidden nail.
Similaredge
18
coinnoundatedBritishcountable
A coin of a value named before 'bit', as in 'threepenny bit'.
He dropped a threepenny bit into the collection box.
She found a sixpenny bit under the cushion.
Similarcoin, piece
Note
19
noun
A unit used to measure how much information something gives you.
20
noun
A tiny amount of bitcoin, equal to one millionth of one bitcoin.
21
noun
A gag worn in the mouth, shaped like the mouthpiece of a horse's bridle.
22
noundialectalMulticultural London English
A gun.
23
nounobsoleteCanadaUS
A coin worth close to, but not exactly, an eighth of a dollar, such as a dime.
24
noun
An old coin and money unit once used in the British islands of the Caribbean.
I trusted to the Lord to be with me; and at one of our trips to St. Eustatia, a Dutch island, I bought a glass tumbler with my half bit, and when I came to Montserrat I sold it for a bit, or sixpence.
1789, Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative
25
noun
A tiny money unit of the Danish West Indies early in the 1900s, five making one cent.

More uses

a bitslightly, or a little, as in a bit tired

bit is a form of bite

bite, verb: To press your teeth into something or someone, to cut, hold, or hurt it. Full entry

Forms: bitebites he/she/itbiting -ing formbit past tensebitten past participle
Spelling: bite → bit: irregular (no -ed)

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of bit apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–3, 5, 7–10, 12–18

From Old English bita meaning a small piece or morsel, going back to an old root meaning 'to split'.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Bit derives from Old English bita, meaning a small piece or morsel. en.wiktionary.org
Its ancestry goes back to a root meaning to split. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 6, 11

This is a past form of bite. Long ago, bite had a different past form: bot in Middle English and bāt in Old English. Bit took its place.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Bit is a past form of bite. en.wiktionary.org
Bite formerly had the past-tense forms bot in Middle English and bāt in Old English. en.wiktionary.org
Bit replaced that older past-tense form. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 4

Coined by John Tukey in 1946 as a short form of 'binary digit', probably helped by the idea of a small portion. First printed in 1948 by Claude Shannon.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

John Tukey coined the computing term in 1946. en.wiktionary.org
Bit is a short form of 'binary digit'. web.mit.edu
The existing meaning 'small portion' probably influenced the coinage. en.wiktionary.org
The term first appeared in print in 1948, used by Claude Shannon. en.wiktionary.org