"bite one's tongue" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bites one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "biting one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bit one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bitten one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "bite<,,bit,bitten> one's tongue"
      },
      "expansion": "bite one's tongue (third-person singular simple present bites one's tongue, present participle biting one's tongue, simple past bit one's tongue, past participle bitten one's tongue)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Talking",
          "orig": "en:Talking",
          "parents": [
            "Human behaviour",
            "Language",
            "Human",
            "Communication",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011, Mike Pappas, Growing Up the Greek Way in the Big Apple, page 103",
          "text": "She wanted to go see a movie called Gigi, which I was not too thrilled about. But being a gentleman, I bit my tongue and said, “Okay.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Katy Perry, Roar",
          "text": "I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath / Scared to rock the boat and make a mess.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 August 13, Gayle, Sara Davis, David Pittenger, “abcdefu”, in A Study of the Human Experience Volume One, performed by Gayle",
          "text": "I swear I meant to mean the best when it ended / Even try to bite my tongue when you start shit / Now you're texting all my friends, asking questions / They never even liked you in the first place",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To resist the urge to speak out, especially in order to avoid saying something inappropriate or likely to cause a dispute."
      ],
      "id": "en-bite_one's_tongue-en-verb-aVP1JF30",
      "links": [
        [
          "speak out",
          "speak out"
        ],
        [
          "inappropriate",
          "inappropriate"
        ],
        [
          "dispute",
          "dispute"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To resist the urge to speak out, especially in order to avoid saying something inappropriate or likely to cause a dispute."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "hold one's tongue"
        },
        {
          "word": "guard one's tongue"
        },
        {
          "word": "cat got someone's tongue"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bite one's lip"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "word": "pitää suu kiinni"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "word": "pitää turpa tukossa"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "word": "sich auf die Zunge beißen"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "dagkóno ti glóssa mou",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "word": "δαγκώνω τη γλώσσα μου"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "word": "mordersi la lingua"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "word": "whakatōngā"
        },
        {
          "code": "mn",
          "lang": "Mongolian",
          "note": "амаа татах (amaa tatax, literally “pull one's mouth”)",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "word": "hvis du ikke har noe hyggelig å si, si ingen ting"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "gryźć się w język"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "ugryźć się w język"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "prikusítʹ jazýk",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "прикуси́ть язы́к"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "prideržátʹ jazýk",
          "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "придержа́ть язы́к"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-bite one's tongue.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ec/En-au-bite_one%27s_tongue.ogg/En-au-bite_one%27s_tongue.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/En-au-bite_one%27s_tongue.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bite one's tongue"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bites one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "biting one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bit one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bitten one's tongue",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "bite<,,bit,bitten> one's tongue"
      },
      "expansion": "bite one's tongue (third-person singular simple present bites one's tongue, present participle biting one's tongue, simple past bit one's tongue, past participle bitten one's tongue)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "hold one's tongue"
    },
    {
      "word": "guard one's tongue"
    },
    {
      "word": "cat got someone's tongue"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "en:Talking"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011, Mike Pappas, Growing Up the Greek Way in the Big Apple, page 103",
          "text": "She wanted to go see a movie called Gigi, which I was not too thrilled about. But being a gentleman, I bit my tongue and said, “Okay.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Katy Perry, Roar",
          "text": "I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath / Scared to rock the boat and make a mess.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 August 13, Gayle, Sara Davis, David Pittenger, “abcdefu”, in A Study of the Human Experience Volume One, performed by Gayle",
          "text": "I swear I meant to mean the best when it ended / Even try to bite my tongue when you start shit / Now you're texting all my friends, asking questions / They never even liked you in the first place",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To resist the urge to speak out, especially in order to avoid saying something inappropriate or likely to cause a dispute."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "speak out",
          "speak out"
        ],
        [
          "inappropriate",
          "inappropriate"
        ],
        [
          "dispute",
          "dispute"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To resist the urge to speak out, especially in order to avoid saying something inappropriate or likely to cause a dispute."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bite one's lip"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-bite one's tongue.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ec/En-au-bite_one%27s_tongue.ogg/En-au-bite_one%27s_tongue.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/En-au-bite_one%27s_tongue.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "word": "pitää suu kiinni"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "word": "pitää turpa tukossa"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "word": "sich auf die Zunge beißen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "dagkóno ti glóssa mou",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "word": "δαγκώνω τη γλώσσα μου"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "word": "mordersi la lingua"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "word": "whakatōngā"
    },
    {
      "code": "mn",
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "note": "амаа татах (amaa tatax, literally “pull one's mouth”)",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "word": "hvis du ikke har noe hyggelig å si, si ingen ting"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "gryźć się w język"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "ugryźć się w język"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "prikusítʹ jazýk",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "прикуси́ть язы́к"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "prideržátʹ jazýk",
      "sense": "prevent oneself from uttering a word",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "придержа́ть язы́к"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bite one's tongue"
}