Rate this phrase:4.0 / 1 vote

bite the bullet

To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to continue moving forward.

Etymology:

  • Possibly from the reported practice of soldiers biting a bullet to avoid crying out in pain, usually during a medical procedure or punishment.
46 Views
Collection   Edit    

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'bite the bullet':

bite the bulletTo endure a punishment or consequence with dignity or stoicism.
bite the bulletto force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation
bite the bulletto force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the bite the bullet phrase in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to bite the bullet

bite someone in the arsenumber one with a bulletbite one's lipbite the big onebite someone's head offbite the biscuitbite the big onebite off more than one can chewBite Your Tonguedodged a bulletbite one's tonguebite the dustBite Off More Than You Can Chewdon't bite the hand that feeds you

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this bite the bullet phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this bite the bullet definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "bite the bullet." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/bite-the-bullet_2410>.

    Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    What's that got to do with the _________ of tea in China?
    A consumption
    B amount
    C price
    D quantity

    Browse Phrases.com

    #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ