MEANING
To make yourself face something difficult or unpleasant despite your reluctance to do it.
Use it for
facing an unpleasant necessary task; ending delay over a difficult decision; accepting short-term discomfort; showing reluctant but determined actionExpresses accepting the need to do something difficult rather than continuing to postpone it. Writing functions: Difficult action.
Words that belong together
- bite the bullet and act
- finally bite the bullet
On the page
We bit the bullet and replaced the failing equipment before the next production run.
She decided to bite the bullet and tell her supervisor that the deadline was unrealistic.
Word forms
- Base
- bite the bullet
Usage notes
Verbal idiom: bite/bites/bit/bitten/biting the bullet. Keep the article the. Register: informal. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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