bite one's thumb

verb

To express defiance by putting one's thumbnail into one's mouth and knocking it against the teeth.

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Meanings

verbbite one's thumb (third-person singular simple present bites one's thumb, present participle biting one's thumb, simple past bit one's thumb, past participle bitten one's thumb)

present singular third person bites one's thumb · participle present biting one's thumb · past bit one's thumb · participle past bitten one's thumb

  1. historicalTo express defiance by putting one's thumbnail into one's mouth and knocking it against the teeth.
Cite this entry
APA

bite one's thumb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20one's%20thumb

MLA

“bite one's thumb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20one's%20thumb. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bite one's thumb,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20one's%20thumb.

Source: bite one's thumb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.