bite

bite — 動詞

1. to press your teeth into food, an object, or a person's body, often to cut a pie

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

咬

用牙齒咬住或咬下東西

to press your teeth into food, an object, or a person's body, often to cut a piece off, hold it firmly, or hurt them.

例句

Zara bit into the warm apple and felt the juice run down her chin.

Zara 咬了一口溫熱的蘋果，果汁順著下巴流了下來。

bite into + food noun

The neighbour's dog bit Tomás on the leg while he was jogging in the park.

Tomás 在公園慢跑時，被鄰居的狗咬到腿。

bite + person + on + body part

同義詞
  • chew

    involves repeated grinding with teeth, not a single press

  • gnaw

    to keep biting at something hard over time, e.g. a bone

  • nip

    a small, quick bite, often playful

文法句型

bite + noun

bite into + noun

bite (off) a piece of + noun

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person or animal with teeth or jaws; the object is often food or a body part. Distinguish from sense 3 (snake/insect) where there are no real teeth involved.

常見錯誤

❌The dog bited me yesterday.
✅The dog bit me yesterday.
💡past tense is 'bit', past participle 'bitten'.
❌He bit on the apple.
✅He bit into the apple.
💡for sinking teeth into food, use 'bite into'.

2. of a fish — to take the food attached to a fishing line into its mouth, so that

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

上鉤；咬餌

魚吞下釣線上的餌

of a fish — to take the food attached to a fishing line into its mouth, so that the angler can catch it.

例句

The trout weren't biting that morning, so Grandpa packed up his rods early.

那天早上鱒魚都不上鉤，所以爺爺很早就收竿了。

intransitive: subject = fish, no object

Olu waited two hours by the lake before a single carp finally bit.

Olu 在湖邊等了兩個小時，才終於有一條鯉魚上鉤。

single fish + bit (past simple)

同義詞
  • nibble

    to take small tastes of bait without being fully hooked

  • take the bait

    fixed phrase, same idea

文法句型

the fish + bite (no object)

用法筆記

Used only intransitively. The subject is always a fish or fish species; no human or other animal can be the subject in this sense.

常見錯誤

❌The fish bit my hook into.
✅The fish bit my hook.' or ✅ 'The fish was biting.
💡no preposition needed.

3. of a small creature such as a mosquito, ant, or snake — to make a small painful

3.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

叮；咬傷

蚊蟲或蛇在皮膚刺出小傷口

of a small creature such as a mosquito, ant, or snake — to make a small painful hole in someone's skin, sometimes leaving poison behind.

例句

Lior was bitten by mosquitoes all over her arms during the camping trip.

Lior 露營時手臂被蚊子叮得到處都是。

passive: be bitten by + insect

A small green snake bit the farmer's ankle as he walked through the long grass.

農夫穿過長草時，一條小綠蛇咬了他的腳踝。

active: snake + bite + body part

同義詞
  • sting

    more accurate for bees and wasps, which use a pointed tail rather than mouth

  • nip

    a small, less serious bite

文法句型

bite + person

be bitten by + creature

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the passive (be bitten by). Subject is a small animal that pierces the skin rather than chews; for animals with full jaws like dogs, use sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌I was bited by a mosquito.
✅I was bitten by a mosquito.
💡past participle is 'bitten', not 'bited'.

4. of a policy, tax, or difficult situation — to start to cause real harm or hardsh

4.動詞不及物C1
釋義

造成衝擊

政策或困境開始讓人明顯受害

of a policy, tax, or difficult situation — to start to cause real harm or hardship that people clearly feel.

例句

Higher fuel prices are starting to bite for families on low incomes.

燃料價格上漲開始對低收入家庭造成衝擊。

start to bite + for + group affected

The new import tax really began to bite when small shops closed across the town.

新的進口稅真正開始發威，鎮上小店一家家關門。

begin to bite + concrete result

同義詞
  • hurt

    more general; 'bite' suggests slow, gradual pressure

  • take effect

    neutral; 'bite' carries a clearly negative tone

反義詞
  • ease

    to become less severe

文法句型

something + bite (no object)

begin/start to bite

用法筆記

Subject is usually an abstract force like a tax, sanction, recession, or weather event — not a person. Often paired with 'start to', 'begin to', or 'really'.

常見錯誤

❌The tax bit my budget.
✅The tax began to bite, and my budget got tighter.
💡used intransitively, not with a direct object.

5. to show that you are interested in a deal, suggestion, or trick, usually by agre

5.動詞不及物C1
釋義

上鉤；答應

對提議或誘餌表現出興趣

to show that you are interested in a deal, suggestion, or trick, usually by agreeing to talk further or accepting it.

例句

We dropped the price by ten percent, but no buyers were biting.

我們把價格降了一成，但還是沒有買家上鉤。

no one biting + sales context

Tomás offered Zara a free trial, hoping she would bite.

Tomás 提供 Zara 免費試用，希望她會接受。

hope + someone + bite (informal)

同義詞
  • go for

    to choose or accept something offered

  • fall for

    implies being tricked, more negative than 'bite'

反義詞
  • refuse

    to clearly say no to an offer

文法句型

someone + bite (no object)

bite at + offer

用法筆記

Informal, often in business or sales contexts. Echoes sense 2 (fish biting bait) — the offer is the bait and the person is the fish. Distinguish from sense 1: nothing is actually bitten with teeth here.

常見錯誤

❌She bit the offer immediately.
✅She bit at the offer immediately.' or ✅ 'She bit immediately.
💡used intransitively, not with the offer as object.

bite — 名詞