Definition of 'bit'
Word forms: plural bits
1.
See a bit
2.
See a bit
3.
See a bit of a
4.
See quite a bit
5.
See a bit
6.
See a bit, for a bit
7. countable noun
A bit of something is a small part or section of it.
8. countable noun
A bit of something is a small piece of it.
9. countable noun
10. countable noun
In computing, a bit is the smallest unit of information that is held in a computer's memory. It is either
1 or 0. Several bits form a byte.
11. countable noun
13.
See bit by bit
14.
See do your bit
15.
16.
See a bit much
17.
See not a bit
18.
See bits and pieces
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
You may also like
Word Frequency
bit in American English 1
noun
1.
the part of a bridle that goes into a horse's mouth, used to control the horse
2.
anything that curbs or controls
3.
the part of a pipestem held in the mouth
4.
the part of a key that actually turns the lock
5.
the cutting part of any tool, as the blade of a plane
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈbitted or ˈbitting
7.
a.
to put a bit into the mouth of (a horse)
b.
to train to the bit
8.
to check or curb
9.
to make the bit on (a key)
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
bit in American English 2
noun
1.
a.
a small piece or quantity
2. US, Informal
an amount equal to 121⁄2 cents
now usually in two bits, four bits, etc. adjective
4.
very small
a bit role
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME bite < OE bita, a piece, morsel, bit < bitan, to bite; (sense 2) orig. used of a small silver coin worth 1⁄8 of the Spanish peso (hence, normally 121⁄2 cents)
Word Frequency
bit in American English 3
verb transitive, verb intransitive
pt. & alt. pp. of
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
bit in American English 4
noun
1.
a single digit in a binary number system
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
b(inary) (dig)itWord Frequency
bit in American English 1
(bɪt) (verb bitted, bitting)
noun
1. Machinery
a.
a removable drilling or boring tool for use in a brace, drill press, or the like
b.
a removable boring head used on certain kinds of drills, as a rock drill
3.
anything that curbs or restrains
4.
the blade or iron of a carpenter's plane
5.
the cutting part of an ax or hatchet
7. See take the bit in one's teeth
transitive verb
8.
to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse)
9.
to curb or restrain with, or as with, a bit
10.
to grind a bit on (a key)
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
bitless adjective
Word Frequency
bit in American English 2
(bɪt)
noun
SYNONYMS 1. particle, speck, grain, mite; whit, iota, jot; scrap, fragment.1.
a small piece or quantity of anything
a bit of string
2.
a short time
Wait a bit
3. informal
two bits
six bits
5.
a stereotypic or habitual set of behaviors, attitudes, or styles associated with an individual, role, situation, etc.
the whole Wall Street bit
6. Also called: bit part
a very small role, as in a play or motion picture, containing few or no lines
Compare walk-on (sense 1)7.
any small coin
a threepenny bit
9. See a bit
10. See a bit much
11. See bit by bit
12. See do one's bit
13. See every bit
14. See quite a bit
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word Frequency
bit in American English 3
(bɪt)
noun Computing
1. Also called: binary digit
a single, basic unit of information, used in connection with computers and information theory
2.
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1945–50; b(inary) + (dig)it]Word Frequency
bit in American English 4
(bɪt)
verb
pt. and a pp. of bite
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word Frequency
B.I.T. in American English
abbreviation
Bachelor of Industrial Technology
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word Frequency
bit in British English 1
noun
1.
a small piece, portion, or quantity
2.
a short time or distance
3. US and Canadian informal
two bits
4.
any small coin
5. short for bit part
6. informal
way of behaving, esp one intended to create a particular impression
she's doing the prima donna bit
7. (plural) euphemistic, slang, mainly British
the genitals
8. See a bit
9. See a bit of
10. See a bit of all right
11. See bit by bit
12. See bit on the side
13. See do one's bit
14. See every bit
15. See not a bit
16. See to bits
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English bite action of biting; see biteWord Frequency
bit in British English 2
noun
3. See take the bit in one's teeth
5.
the blade of a woodworking plane
6.
the part of a pair of pincers designed to grasp an object
verbWord forms: bits, bitting, bitted (transitive)
9.
to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse)
10.
to restrain; curb
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English bita; related to Old English bītan to biteWord Frequency
bit in British English 3
verb
the past tense and (archaic) past participle of bite
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
bit in British English 4
noun mathematics, computing
3.
a unit of capacity of a computer, consisting of an element of its physical structure capable of being
in either of two states, such as a switch with on and off positions, or a microscopic magnet capable of alignment in two directions
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C20: from abbreviation of binary digitWord Frequency
bit in Mechanical Engineering
(bɪt)
Word forms: (regular plural) bits
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Manufacturing and assembly)
A bit is a tool for cutting or drilling that is usually held by a drill.
There are different sized drill bits for drilling different sized holes.
The gouge bit is sharpened on the bottom edge only because if the sides are sharp they will enlarge
the hole as the drill advances.
A bit is a tool for cutting or drilling that is usually held by a drill.
Collins COBUILD Key Words for Mechanical Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
bit in Electrical Engineering
(bɪt)
Word forms: (regular plural) bits
noun
(Electrical engineering: Circuits, Computing and control)
bit error rate, parity bitA bit is the unit of information in information theory, consisting of the amount of information
required to specify one of two alternatives 0 and 1.
Bits are the basic unit of digital information.
A byte is eight binary digits, or bits.
A bit is the unit of information in information theory, consisting of the amount of information
required to specify one of two alternatives 0 and 1.
Collins COBUILD Key Words for Electrical Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'bit' in a sentence
bit
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Word lists with
bit
Tack and equipment and their parts toolQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which tool am I?
a pointed tool used in masonry
Which tool am I?
a tool with a handle carrying a long steel head curved and tapering to a point at one or both ends, used for loosening soil, breaking rocks, etc
Which tool am I?
any of various tools or machines having adjustable toothed jaws, used for gripping, crushing, or compacting
Which tool am I?
a hand tool for working wood, consisting of a flat steel blade with a cutting edge attached to a handle of wood, plastic, etc. It is either struck with a mallet or used by hand
Which tool am I?
a hammer
Your score:
Trends of
bit
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In other languages
bit
British English: bit
/bɪt/ NOUN
A bit of something is a small amount of it, or a small part of it.
I ate a bit of bread.
- American English: bit /ˈbɪt/
- Arabic: جُزْء صَغِير
- Brazilian Portuguese: pedaço
- Chinese: 小块
- Croatian: komadić
- Czech: kousek
- Danish: smule
- Dutch: beetje
- European Spanish: pedazo pequeño
- Finnish: palanen
- French: morceau
- German: Stückchen
- Greek: τεμάχιο
- Italian: pezzo
- Japanese: 小片
- Korean: 작은 조각
- Norwegian: stykke
- Polish: kawałek
- European Portuguese: pedaço
- Romanian: puțin
- Russian: кусочек a small piece
- Spanish: pedazo
- Swedish: stycke bit
- Thai: จำนวนน้อย, ชิ้นเล็กน้อย
- Turkish: parça
- Ukrainian: шматок
- Vietnamese: miếng
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Definition of bit from the Collins English Dictionary
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