baɪt ðə ˈbʊlɪt
General
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- To clench a bullet between one's teeth
What does "bite the bullet" mean?
- To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage
- To face something unpleasant that cannot be avoided
Examples
- I need to bite the bullet and have that difficult conversation.
- We had to bite the bullet and accept the lower offer.
- She bit the bullet and went to the dentist.
Origin
From battlefield surgery before anesthesia, when wounded soldiers were given a bullet or leather strap to bite during operations to help cope with pain. First recorded in this figurative sense in the late 19th century.
How to use it
Very common expression for facing unpleasant but necessary situations. Implies courage and acceptance.
Similar expressions
face the music
grin and bear it
take the plunge
Opposites
avoid
procrastinate
chicken out
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "bite the bullet" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.