bit

bit
I UK [bɪt] / US noun
Word forms "bit":
singular bit plural bits
**
1) a piece or part of something
a) [countable] a small piece of something

I'm having some cake. Do you want a bit?

bit of:

He had bits of food stuck in between his teeth.

bits and pieces:

The wreckage was spread over a wide area in tiny bits and pieces.

b) British informal a part of something

The best bit in the film is the scene in the restaurant.

bit of:

Some bits of the jigsaw are missing.

c) a particular aspect of something

In general, I like my job, but I don't enjoy the management bit.

2) [countable] computing the most basic unit of information that can be stored in a computer
See:
3) [countable] a piece of metal put in a horse's mouth so that a rider can control it
4) [countable] a tool or part of a tool used for cutting or making holes in things
5) bits
[plural] British humorous a man's sex organs
6) [countable, usually plural] American old-fashioned an amount of money an amount of money worth 12½ cents

two bits

bits and pieces/bobsinformal someone's possessions or furniture; informal small individual things

We have a few bits and pieces of furniture, but that's all.

Then there are all the other bits and pieces involved in a wedding: invitations, photos, and car hire.

get/take the bit between your teethBritish to start doing something with a determined attitude and a lot of energy

Once he's got the bit between his teeth, there's no stopping him.

See:

II UK [bɪt] / US adverb, pronoun ***
Summary:

A bit can be used in the following ways: - as an adverb: We waited a bit, and then decided to go. (before an adjective or adverb): It's a bit cold in here, isn't it? - as a pronoun: She'd only eaten a bit before she started choking. (followed by "of"): I could use a bit of help.
Bit can also be used in many expressions referring to amounts or degrees, especially small ones.
Get it right: bit:
The expressions a bit and a little bit, when used before an adjective or adverb, are used mainly in informal English. To express the same meaning in written text, you can use any of the following: ▪  a little ▪  slightly ▪  rather ▪  somewhat
Wrong: Public service television seems to be a bit more serious, more based on facts.
Right: Public service television seems to be a little more serious, more based on facts.
Right: Public service television seems to be slightly/rather/somewhat more serious, more based on facts.
Wrong: That would improve the situation a little bit.
Right: That would improve the situation somewhat/a little.
Wrong: Words can diverge a bit from their literary meaning according to the context.
Right: Words can diverge somewhat/slightly from their literary meaning according to the context.

a bit of skirt/fluffBritish

offensive an insulting word for a sexually attractive woman


every bit as... — just as

The newly developed medication is every bit as effective as the old one.

a good/fair bit — a fairly large amount of something

We've still got a fair bit to do.

a good/fair bit of:

He's lost a good bit of weight, hasn't he?

not one (little) bit — not at all

I don't like what you're doing one little bit.

See:
quite

III UK [bɪt] / US
the past tense of bite I

English dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

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  • bit — bit1 [bit] n. [ME < OE bite, a bite < bītan, BITE] 1. the part of a bridle that goes into a horse s mouth, used to control the horse: see BRIDLE 2. anything that curbs or controls 3. the part of a pipestem held in the mouth: see PIPE 4. th …   English World dictionary

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  • BIT — (homonymie) Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom.  Pour les articles homophones, voir Bite (homonymie) et Bitte (homonymie) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • bit — BIT, biţi, s.m. (inform.) Unitate de măsură pentru cantitatea de informaţie (3) dintr un semnal, corespunzător logaritmului în baza 2. – Din engl., fr. bit. Trimis de paula, 03.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  bit (unitate de informaţie) s. m., pl. biţi… …   Dicționar Român

  • Bit — Sn Binärzeichen per. Wortschatz fach. (20. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. bit, einem Kunstwort ( blending ) aus ne. binary digit binäre Zahl . E. binary geht (wie auch nhd. binär) zurück auf l. bīnārius zwei enthaltend , zu l. bīnus je zwei ;… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

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