See bite the bullet in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "Possibly from the reported practice of soldiers biting a bullet to avoid crying out in pain, usually during a medical procedure or punishment. See the Wikipedia article Bite the bullet for a further discussion of possible etymologies.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "bites the bullet",
"tags": [
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]
},
{
"form": "biting the bullet",
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]
},
{
"form": "bit the bullet",
"tags": [
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]
},
{
"form": "bitten the bullet",
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}
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"expansion": "bite the bullet (third-person singular simple present bites the bullet, present participle biting the bullet, simple past bit the bullet, past participle bitten the bullet)",
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"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "bit between one's teeth"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "grit one's teeth"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "suck it up"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "take it like a man"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "take one's medicine"
}
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"_dis": "63 37",
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"text": "The tenant was annoyed by the proposed rent increase, but the cost of moving would be even higher, so he bit the bullet and signed the new lease.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed."
],
"id": "en-bite_the_bullet-en-verb-a-mna-R0",
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"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed."
],
"tags": [
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"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "ca",
"english": "swallow the toad",
"lang": "Catalan",
"lang_code": "ca",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "swallow the toad",
"word": "empassar-se el gripau"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "da",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Danish",
"lang_code": "da",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bide i det sure æble"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "nl",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "door de zure appel heen bijten"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "fi",
"english": "bite the tooth",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite the tooth",
"word": "purra hammasta"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "fr",
"english": "clench the teeth",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "clench the teeth",
"word": "serrer les dents"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "encaisser"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "de",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "in den sauren Apfel beißen"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "is",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"lang_code": "is",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bíta í það súra epli"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "ingoiare il rospo"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "fare buon viso a cattiva sorte"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "no",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"lang_code": "no",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bite i det sure eple"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "zaciskać zęby"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "zacisnąć zęby"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "ru",
"english": "clench the teeth",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"roman": "stísnutʹ zúby",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"translation": "clench the teeth",
"word": "сти́снуть зу́бы"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"note": "проглоти́ть го́рькую пилю́лю pf (proglotítʹ górʹkuju piljúlju, literally “to swallow a bitter pill”)",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"lang_code": "sk",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "zaťať zuby"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "hacer de tripas corazón"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "sv",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bita i det sura äpplet"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "th",
"lang": "Thai",
"lang_code": "th",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "กัดฟัน"
}
]
},
{
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"ref": "2014 June 12, C. Stephen Evans, David Baggett, “Moral Arguments for the Existence of God”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:",
"text": "With respect to the status of infants and those suffering from dementia, the critic might bite the bullet and just accept the fact that human dignity does not extend to them, or else argue that the fact that infants and those suffering mental breakdown are part of a species whose members typically possess rationality merits them a special respect, even if they lack this quality as individuals.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To accept an undesirable or counterintuitive implication of an argument or view."
],
"id": "en-bite_the_bullet-en-verb-4wmUT3M7",
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"raw_glosses": [
"(philosophy) To accept an undesirable or counterintuitive implication of an argument or view."
],
"topics": [
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"philosophy",
"sciences"
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}
],
"sounds": [
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"audio": "en-au-bite the bullet.ogg",
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"wikipedia": [
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"word": "bite the bullet"
}
{
"categories": [
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"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English predicates",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Catalan translations",
"Terms with Danish translations",
"Terms with Dutch translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Icelandic translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Norwegian translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Slovak translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"Terms with Thai translations"
],
"etymology_text": "Possibly from the reported practice of soldiers biting a bullet to avoid crying out in pain, usually during a medical procedure or punishment. See the Wikipedia article Bite the bullet for a further discussion of possible etymologies.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "bites the bullet",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "biting the bullet",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "bit the bullet",
"tags": [
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{
"form": "bitten the bullet",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
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"expansion": "bite the bullet (third-person singular simple present bites the bullet, present participle biting the bullet, simple past bit the bullet, past participle bitten the bullet)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "bit between one's teeth"
},
{
"word": "grit one's teeth"
},
{
"word": "suck it up"
},
{
"word": "take it like a man"
},
{
"word": "take one's medicine"
}
],
"senses": [
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"categories": [
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"text": "The tenant was annoyed by the proposed rent increase, but the cost of moving would be even higher, so he bit the bullet and signed the new lease.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed."
],
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"(idiomatic) To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed."
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"text": "With respect to the status of infants and those suffering from dementia, the critic might bite the bullet and just accept the fact that human dignity does not extend to them, or else argue that the fact that infants and those suffering mental breakdown are part of a species whose members typically possess rationality merits them a special respect, even if they lack this quality as individuals.",
"type": "quotation"
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"(philosophy) To accept an undesirable or counterintuitive implication of an argument or view."
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"translations": [
{
"code": "ca",
"english": "swallow the toad",
"lang": "Catalan",
"lang_code": "ca",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "swallow the toad",
"word": "empassar-se el gripau"
},
{
"code": "da",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Danish",
"lang_code": "da",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bide i det sure æble"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "door de zure appel heen bijten"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"english": "bite the tooth",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite the tooth",
"word": "purra hammasta"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"english": "clench the teeth",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "clench the teeth",
"word": "serrer les dents"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "encaisser"
},
{
"code": "de",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "in den sauren Apfel beißen"
},
{
"code": "is",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"lang_code": "is",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bíta í það súra epli"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "ingoiare il rospo"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "fare buon viso a cattiva sorte"
},
{
"code": "no",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"lang_code": "no",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bite i det sure eple"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "zaciskać zęby"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "zacisnąć zęby"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"english": "clench the teeth",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"roman": "stísnutʹ zúby",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"translation": "clench the teeth",
"word": "сти́снуть зу́бы"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"note": "проглоти́ть го́рькую пилю́лю pf (proglotítʹ górʹkuju piljúlju, literally “to swallow a bitter pill”)",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"lang_code": "sk",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "zaťať zuby"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "hacer de tripas corazón"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"english": "bite into the sour apple",
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"translation": "bite into the sour apple",
"word": "bita i det sura äpplet"
},
{
"code": "th",
"lang": "Thai",
"lang_code": "th",
"sense": "accept or endure a negative aspect of a situation in order to proceed",
"word": "กัดฟัน"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Bite the bullet"
],
"word": "bite the bullet"
}
Download raw JSONL data for bite the bullet meaning in English (7.8kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-01-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (96027d6 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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