bitch

Pluralbitches

Formsbitches, bitching, bitched

1. 1
   mean personnounslangoffensivevulgarcountable or uncountable

   A despicable, disagreeable, or aggressive person, most often a woman.

   He bitterly called his landlord a bitch after the eviction notice arrived.

   Their team captain is a real bitch whenever someone misses practice.

   UsageOften in such a bitch or a real bitch; frequently heard as sexist.

   Note

   The everyday insult, and the one most people mean by the word. Robert Burton, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, lines it up with strumpet and arrant whore, a reminder of how close it once stood to the promiscuity slur. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy places bitch alongside strumpet and arrant whore. gutenberg.org
   • The word historically had a sense referring to a promiscuous woman. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   complainverbvulgarintransitive

   To complain, especially often or angrily, or to criticize someone spitefully.

   He'll bitch about the weather for an hour if you let him.

   She spent the whole meeting bitching about her coworkers.

   UsageUse bitch about for the person or thing complained of, and bitch at for the person you complain to.

   Similarcomplain, gripe, moan, snipe

   Note

   Complaining at length, often with more irritation than any real wish for a fix. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Slim Pickins” (2024) reverses the familiar pairing, putting the moaning before the bitching.

3. 3
   woman (crude)nounslangoffensivevulgarcountable or uncountable

   A degrading slang term for a woman.

   Critics of the song said that calling a woman a bitch in every verse was degrading, not edgy.

   Her complaint said the manager had called the women on his team bitches in front of clients.

   Note

   Vulgar slang in which the word stops judging a woman's character and simply stands in for "woman." It runs through hip-hop lyrics such as Tupac Shakur's "Hit 'Em Up" (1996) and Curtis Jackson's "If I Can't" (2003). There it often takes a possessive, as in my bitches, which presents women as belonging to the speaker. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Hit 'Em Up is a Tupac Shakur song released in 1996. en.wikipedia.org
   • If I Can't is a 2003 song credited to Curtis Jackson, who performs as 50 Cent. en.wiktionary.org
   • Hit 'Em Up uses bitch to refer to a woman. en.wiktionary.org
   • If I Can't uses bitches for women and includes the possessive phrase my bitches. en.wiktionary.org
4. 4
   female dognouncountable or uncountable

   A female dog, or the female of another canine animal such as a wolf or fox.

   The breeder kept the bitch away from the males during her season.

   A well-fed bitch can raise a large litter without trouble.

   UsageOutside dog breeding, people usually say female dog, because the insults have taken the word over.

   Note

   Among breeders and show judges it is the neutral partner of dog, as in LIFE's 1953 “both dog and bitch.” In that setting it simply names a female, often one that has just had a litter, with no insult intended. It is the oldest meaning, from Old English biċċe, and outside breeding and showing it can now sound dated.

5. 5
   difficult thingnounvulgarfigurativelycountable or uncountable

   Something very difficult, harsh, or unpleasant.

   Karma is a bitch, as the old saying goes.

   The freezing, sleepless night made the climb a bitch.

   UsageCommon in karma's a bitch, life's a bitch and the pattern a bitch of a day.

   Similarnightmare, pain, killer, bear

   Note

   Here the word personifies hardship, as if bad luck or consequences meant you harm. It also comes in the frame a bitch of a, as when Stephen Fry's The Liar (1991) describes “an incredible bitch of a row.” Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Stephen Fry wrote The Liar, first published in 1991. en.wikipedia.org
   • The Liar contains the exact phrase “an incredible bitch of a row,” illustrating the construction “a bitch of a.” en.wiktionary.org
6. 6
   weak mannounoffensivevulgarcountable or uncountable

   An insulting term for a man regarded as weak or timid, or for anyone seen as submissive or controlled by another person.

   Inside, the weaker men quickly became someone's bitch.

   She turned her assistant into her personal bitch, demanding favors at all hours.

   Similarslave, lackey, doormat, flunky

   Note

   Two uses meet here. One is a general sneer at someone who gives way; the other is a prison usage for a man coerced into sex. The possessive frame, someone's bitch or your bitch, carries the idea of being owned, and Family Guy played it for laughs in 1999, with servants singing that they would gladly be Peter's bitch. The bare taunt don't be a bitch is about backbone instead. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • Family Guy used the line in 1999. thetvdb.com
   • The servants sing “we'll gladly be your bitch” in “Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater,” first aired September 23, 1999. drodd.com
7. 7
   friend (joking)nounvulgarcolloquialhumorouscountable or uncountable

   A friend, addressed with playful and affectionate vulgarity.

   She greeted her oldest friend with a cheerful 'there's my bitch!'

   Love you, bitch. Text me the moment you land.

   Note

   The insult turned inside out, so that the vulgarity becomes the affection. Friends use it in greetings and sign-offs, as in what's up, bitch, and often with a possessive, as in my bitches. It stays vulgar and humorous, so it works only where both sides take it as a joke, unlike the "despicable person" meaning.

8. 8
   admired womannounslangvulgarcountable

   A woman admired for being confident, tough, or impressive, often in the phrases bad bitch and boss bitch.

   She runs marathons, raises three kids, and still DJs on weekends: a certified bad bitch.

   After the promotion, her friends raised their glasses to the office's newest boss bitch.

   UsageA compliment among friends, but from a stranger or at work it is likely to offend.

   Note

   Praise built out of an insult: the word that sneers at a spiteful, aggressive woman here admires one, usually inside the set phrases bad bitch and boss bitch.

9. 9
   casual partnernounslangderogatoryvulgaridiomaticcountable or uncountable

   A degrading term for a woman treated as a casual sexual partner.

   He bragged that she was just another bitch he'd hooked up with and would never call again.

   In the song, he brags about having a different bitch in his bed every night.

   Note

   Unlike the bare slang for “woman”, this use gives the woman a role: a casual sexual partner and nothing more, usually with a possessive (his bitch). Its force is misogynistic, because it reduces the woman to her availability.

10. 10
    placenounslangvulgarcountable or uncountable

    A place or situation, used as crude, casual slang for wherever one happens to be.

    Everybody in this bitch was on their feet when the band came out.

    The DJ grabbed the mic and yelled, "Y'all ready to turn up in this bitch?"

    UsageAlmost always with this: in this bitch, up in this bitch, outta this bitch.

    Similarplace, joint

    Note

    It adds emphasis and swagger rather than meaning, and it points at the room or event the speaker is in. It usually comes as this bitch, after in, up in or out of, as in everybody in this bitch or let's get out of this bitch. It is vulgar, informal slang and suits only loud, casual talk.

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