bite back

verb

To retaliate; to give a sharp retort.

“He bit back his anger and managed a courteous reply.”

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Meanings

verbbite back (third-person singular simple present bites back, present participle biting back, simple past bit back, past participle bitten back)

present singular third person bites back · participle present biting back · past bit back · participle past bitten back

  1. intransitiveTo retaliate; to give a sharp retort.
  2. transitiveTo repress (an emotion or a response).

    He bit back his anger and managed a courteous reply.

    1 more example

    No one bites back as hard on their anger / None of my pain and woe / Can show through

    1971, The Who, “Behind Blue Eyes”, in Who's Next
Cite this entry
APA

bite back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20back

MLA

“bite back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20back. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bite back,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20back.

Source: bite back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.