past participle
To have closed your teeth on someone or something, or to have used your teeth to cut food.
The dog has never bitten anyone before.
The child was bitten by a mosquito.
American English
How to pronounce bitten
verbA2Common word
BIHtn
/ˈbɪ.t̚n̩/
2 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Form of bite
Bitten is used after have, has, or had and in passive sentences; the simple past is bit.
To have closed your teeth on someone or something, or to have used your teeth to cut food.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
idiomatic past participle
To have suddenly developed a strong interest in travel or another activity, as if a bug had infected you.
She was bitten by the travel bug after her first trip.
After he was bitten by the photography bug, he bought a camera.
Useful expressions
a small meal or some food
I need a bite to eat before the movie.
to stop yourself from saying something
I wanted to complain, but I bit my tongue.
to accept something difficult and do it
I'll bite the bullet and call the doctor.
Related words & forms
For the past, use bit; with have, use bitten. Before -ing, drop the final e: biting, not biteing.