chomp at the bit

verb

To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

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Meanings

verbchomp at the bit (third-person singular simple present chomps at the bit, present participle chomping at the bit, simple past and past participle chomped at the bit)

present singular third person chomps at the bit · participle present chomping at the bit · participle past chomped at the bit · past chomped at the bit · alternative champ at the bit

  1. intransitiveTo show impatience or frustration when delayed.

    Electronics makers chomping at the bit.

    2004, Lisa Wang, Taipei Times read at http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2004/03/16/2003102683 on 14 May 2006
    2 more examples

    But I wouldn't say [they're frustrated], I think our players are just chomping at the bit to go.

    2005, Guy Hedderwick, speaking to Joel Zander of Australian Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealand Knights: Outsiders read at https://web.archive.org/web/20060420011428/http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200508/s1441286.htm on 14 May 2006

    Curt Schilling was "chomping at the bit" following Monday’s three-inning stint in an intrasquad minor-league game.

    2005, David Borges, Journal Register News Service, Schilling ‘chomping at the bit’ read at http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14200724&BRD=1641&PAG=461&dept_id=17739&rfi=6 on 14 May 2006

Origin

Non-standard variant of champ at the bit, recasting it as chomp (“to chew noisily”) + bit (“part of a horse's harness held in its mouth”); horses tend to chew on their bits when impatient at waiting.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chomp at the bit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chomp%20at%20the%20bit

MLA

“chomp at the bit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chomp%20at%20the%20bit. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chomp at the bit,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chomp%20at%20the%20bit.

Source: chomp at the bit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.