- a bit[singular] (used as an adverb) (especially British English) rather; to some extent synonym a little
- These trousers are a bit tight.
- ‘Are you tired?’ ‘Yes, I am a bit.’
- I was a bit disappointed by the film.
- It costs a bit more than I wanted to spend.
- The future looks a little bit brighter this morning.
- I felt a wee bit guilty about it.
- I can lend you fifty pounds, if you want. That should help a bit.
British/American a bit / a littlea bit / a little- In British English it is common to use a bit to mean ‘slightly’ or ‘to a small extent’:
- These shoes are a bit tight.
- I'll be home a bit later tomorrow.
- Can you turn the volume up a bit?
- It is more common in North American English to say a little, or (informal) a little bit. You can also use these phrases in British English:
- These shoes are a little bit too tight.
- I'll be home a little later tomorrow.
- Can you turn the volume up a little bit?
Extra Examples- I'm still just a bit confused.
- He helped me a little bit in the afternoon.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- little
- teensy
- wee
- …
- just a bit
- not the least bit
- a bit[singular] (especially British English) a short time or distance
- Wait a bit!
- Can you move up a bit?
- for a bit Greg thought for a bit before answering.
- in a bit See you in a bit.
- [countable] bit of something (especially British English) a small amount or piece of something
- Here are some useful bits of information.
- I have a bit of good news for you.
- Let me give you a little bit of advice.
- With a bit of luck, we'll be there by 12.
- I've got a bit of shopping to do.
- bits of paper/wood/plastic
Extra Examples- Here's a bit of news that may interest you.
- Do you want a bit of pizza?
- Can you save me a bit?
- A big bit of plaster just fell down from the ceiling.
- She tore the letter up and threw it on the floor. Marion stooped to pick up the bits.
- I've bought a nice bit of fish for dinner.
- I'm worried because bits keep falling off my car.
- He managed to get odd bits of work, but no regular job.
- [countable] (especially British English) a part of something larger
- The best bit of the holiday was seeing the Grand Canyon.
- I read it, but I missed out the boring bits.
- bit about something I like the bit about owls in the first chapter.
Extra Examples- Listen to the interview again and pick out the bits you want to use in the article.
- The school play was a huge success—the audience roared with laughter at all the funny bits.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- little
- small
- tiny
- …
- pick out
- pick up
- fall off
- bit of
- bits and bobs
- bits and pieces
- blow something to bits
- …
- [singular] a bit (of something) (especially British English, informal) a large amount
- ‘How much does he earn?’ ‘Quite a bit!’
- It rained a fair bit during the night.
- The new system will take a bit of getting used to (= it will take a long time to get used to).
Extra Examples- ‘Has it been difficult for you at work?’ ‘Just a bit (= it has been very difficult).’
- We made a good bit of progress.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fair
- good
- take
- quite a bit
- just a bit
- [countable] the smallest unit of information used by a computerTopics Computersc2
- [countable] a metal bar that is put in a horse’s mouth so that the rider can control it
- [countable] a tool or part of a tool for drilling (= making) holes see also drillOxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
- little
- small
- tiny
- …
- pick out
- pick up
- fall off
- bit of
- bits and bobs
- bits and pieces
- blow something to bits
- …
- [countable] (North American English, informal) an amount of money equal to 12½ cents
- bits[plural] (British English, informal) a person’s sexual organs
small amount
part of something
large amount
computing
for horse
tool
money
sexual organs
Word Originsenses 1 to 5 and senses 9 to 10 Old English bita ‘bite, mouthful’, of Germanic origin; related to German Bissen, also to bite.senses 7 to 8 Old English bite ‘biting, a bite’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch beet and German Biss, also to bite.sense 6 1940s: blend of binary and digit.
Idioms
See bit in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee bit in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe in bits
- (British English, informal) to be very sad or worried
- Inside I'm in bits because I miss him so much.
- I’m in bits about the problems I’ve had.
- She was in bits over her decision to quit.
the (whole)… bit
- (informal, disapproving) behaviour or ideas that are typical of a particular group, type of person or activity
- She couldn't accept the whole drug-culture bit.
bit by bit
- a piece at a time; gradually
- He assembled the model aircraft bit by bit.
- Bit by bit memories of the night came back to me.
a bit much
- (informal) not fair or not reasonable
- It's a bit much calling me at three in the morning.
- The noise from next door is getting a bit much.
a bit of a…
- (informal, especially British English) used when talking about unpleasant or negative things or ideas, to mean ‘rather a…’
- We may have a bit of a problem on our hands.
- The rail strike is a bit of a pain.
a bit of all right
- (British English, slang) a person that you think is sexually attractive
- Dave’s new girlfriend is a bit of all right, isn’t she?
a bit of rough
- (British English, slang) a person of a low social class who has a sexual relationship with somebody of a higher class
a bit on the side
- (British English, slang) the boyfriend or girlfriend of somebody who is already married or in a steady sexual relationship with somebody else
- Is he your bit on the side?
bits and pieces/bobs
- (British English, informal) small objects or items of various kinds
- She stuffed all her bits and pieces into a bag and left.
- I just need to get a few bits and pieces at the supermarket.
blow somebody/something to bits/pieces
- to use bombs or other weapons to destroy somebody/something completely
- The plane was blown to pieces when the bomb exploded.
champing at the bit
- (informal) impatient to do or start doing something
- Gerry’s champing at the bit to go to college.
do your bit
- (informal) to do your share of a task
- We can finish this job on time if everyone does their bit.
every bit as good, bad, etc. (as somebody/something)
- just as good, bad, etc.; equally good, bad, etc.
- Rome is every bit as beautiful as Paris.
- He’s every bit as clever as she is.
get the bit between your teeth
- (informal) to become very enthusiastic about something that you have started to do so that you are unlikely to stop until you have finished
not a bit | not one (little) bit
- not at all; not in any way
- ‘Are you cold?’ ‘Not a bit.’
- It's not a bit of use (= there's no point in) complaining.
- I'm not the least bit interested in football.
- I don't like that idea one bit.
not a bit of it!
- (informal, British English) used for saying that something that you had expected to happen did not happen
- You'd think she'd be tired after the journey but not a bit of it!
not a blind bit/the blindest bit of…
- (British English, informal) not any
- He didn't take a blind bit of notice of me (= he ignored me).
- It won't make the blindest bit of difference (= it will make no difference at all).
not the least/slightest bit
- not at all
- Normally I'm not the least bit shy.
- He wasn't the slightest bit interested in answering our questions.
to bits
- into small pieces
- The book fell to bits in my hands.
- All the crockery had been smashed to bits.
- She took the engine to bits, then carefully put it together again.
- (informal) very much
- I love my kids to bits.
- She was thrilled to bits when I said I'd come.
Check pronunciation:
bit