idiom · informal
bite the bullet
UK/baɪt ðə ˈbʊlɪt/US/baɪt ðə ˈbʊlət/BITE the BUL·let
to accept doing something difficult or unpleasant that is unavoidable
Examples
“I decided to bite the bullet and pay the fine rather than contest it.”
“Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and tell the truth.”
“We bit the bullet and started cutting staff to save the company.”
Band 8 sentence
“Faced with a necessary but unpopular reform, the government decided to bite the bullet and implement it despite the protests.”
Collocations
- bite the bullet and do something
- have to bite the bullet
Word family
Common mistakes
bite the bullet for→bite the bullet
to bite a bullet→to bite the bullet
Say it for a higher band
5accept→6put up with→7+bite the bullet
Synonyms
grin and bear it
accept reluctantly
Easily confused
grin and bear it
“You'll just have to grin and bear it until the exams are over.”
make the best of it
“Although the holiday was ruined by rain, we made the best of it.”
Related words
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