Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb idiomatic To
endure apunishment or consequence withdignity orstoicism . - verb idiomatic To
accept anegative aspect of a situation in order to continue moving forward.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Possibly from the reported practice of soldiers biting a bullet to avoid crying out in pain, usually during a medical procedure or punishment. (While this is given frequently as an etymology, this source suggests that the term derives instead from the practice of biting open paper cartridges.)
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word bite the bullet.
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.