BIT (bitted, bitting)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: bitted    , bitting   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bit mean? 

• BIT (noun)
  The noun BIT has 11 senses:

1. a small piece or quantity of something

2. a small fragment of something broken off from the whole

3. an indefinitely short time

4. an instance of some kind

5. piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to control the horse while riding

6. a unit of measurement of information (from binary + digit); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states

7. a small amount of solid food; a mouthful

8. a small fragment

9. a short performance that is part of a longer program

10. the part of a key that enters a lock and lifts the tumblers

11. the cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press

  Familiarity information: BIT used as a noun is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BIT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A small piece or quantity of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

bit; spot

Context example:

I gave him a bit of my mind

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

small indefinite amount; small indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude)

Derivation:

bitty ((used informally) very small)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A small fragment of something broken off from the whole

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

bit; chip; flake; fleck; scrap

Context example:

a bit of rock caught him in the eye

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

fragment (a piece broken off or cut off of something else)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):

matchwood (fragments of wood)

exfoliation; scale; scurf (a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the surface of the skin)

scurf ((botany) a covering that resembles scales or bran that covers some plant parts)

sliver; splinter (a small thin sharp bit or wood or glass or metal)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An indefinitely short time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Synonyms:

bit; minute; mo; moment; second

Context example:

in just a bit

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

time (an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):

blink of an eye; flash; heartbeat; instant; jiffy; New York minute; split second; trice; twinkling; wink (a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat))

Sense 4

Meaning:

An instance of some kind

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

bit; piece

Context example:

he had a bit of good luck

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

case; example; instance (an occurrence of something)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to control the horse while riding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the horse was not accustomed to a bit

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

saddlery; stable gear; tack (gear for a horse)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):

Pelham (a bit with a bar mouthpiece that is designed to combine a curb and snaffle)

snaffle; snaffle bit (a simple jointed bit for a horse; without a curb)

curb; curb bit (a horse's bit with an attached chain or strap to check the horse)

bridoon (a bit resembling a snaffle bit; used with a separate curb)

bar bit (a bit for horses that is a solid bar of metal)

Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):

bridle (headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A unit of measurement of information (from binary + digit); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Context example:

there are 8 bits in a byte

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

unit; unit of measurement (any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):

check bit; parity; parity bit ((computer science) a bit that is used in an error detection procedure in which a 0 or 1 is added to each group of bits so that it will have either an odd number of 1's or an even number of 1's; e.g., if the parity is odd then any group of bits that arrives with an even number of 1's must contain an error)

Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):

byte (a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A small amount of solid food; a mouthful

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

bit; bite; morsel

Context example:

all they had left was a bit of bread

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

mouthful; taste (a small amount eaten or drunk)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):

chaw; chew; cud; plug; quid; wad (a wad of something chewable as tobacco)

crumb (small piece of e.g. bread or cake)

sop; sops (piece of solid food for dipping in a liquid)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A small fragment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

bit; snatch

Context example:

overheard snatches of their conversation

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

fragment (an incomplete piece)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A short performance that is part of a longer program

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

act; bit; number; routine; turn

Context example:

it was one of the best numbers he ever did

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

performance; public presentation (a dramatic or musical entertainment)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):

show-stopper; showstopper; stopper (an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down)

Sense 10

Meaning:

The part of a key that enters a lock and lifts the tumblers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

part; portion (something less than the whole of a human artifact)

Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):

key (metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated)

Sense 11

Meaning:

The cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

he looked around for the right size bit

Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):

cutting implement (a tool used for cutting or slicing)

Meronyms (parts of "bit"):

shank (cylinder forming the part of a bit by which it is held in the drill)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):

center bit; centre bit (a bit with a sharp center point for guidance and two side cutters)

chamfer bit (a bit that is used for beveling)

counterbore; countersink; countersink bit (a bit for enlarging the upper part of a hole)

drill bit; drilling bit (a bit used in drilling for oil)

expansion bit; expansive bit (a bit with a cutting blade that can be adjusted to different sizes)

pilot bit (a small bit that drills a first hole to guide a larger drill)

spade bit (a thin bit with a center point and cutting edges on either side)

twist bit; twist drill (a bit or drill having deep helical grooves)

bur; burr (small bit used in dentistry or surgery)

Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):

drill (a tool with a sharp point and cutting edges for making holes in hard materials (usually rotating rapidly or by repeated blows))

 Context examples 

"It hurts a bit, and gives one a nasty headache, but it doesn't compare with break-bone fever."

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

This work was repeated three or four times, and at every turn, the engine was so contrived, that the words shifted into new places, as the square bits of wood moved upside down.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

He is a bit of a Don Juan, and you can imagine that for a man like him it is not a very difficult part to play in a quiet country district.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The person I see looks to be your marriage or steady partner, for you seem to be discussing home and living arrangements quite a bit together.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

"Then, if you don't mind, I'll go with you," said the Lion, "for my life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage."

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

"Pictures are bits of life," I said.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my Boswell. And this promises to be interesting. It would be a pity to miss it.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It’s attacking my nerve-centres, eating them up, bit by bit, cell by cell—from the pain.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

This morning, as the man was buried and the investigation over—so far as this room is concerned—we thought we could tidy up a bit.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)