{
    "term": "bit",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "image": "data/images/to/tools_diy_1.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "rather; to some extent",
            "labels": "(especially British English)British EnglishNorth American EnglishBritish English",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "These trousers are a bit tight."
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘Are you tired?’ ‘Yes, I am a bit.’"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was a bit disappointed by the film."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It costs **a bit more** than I wanted to spend."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The future looks **a little bit** brighter this morning."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I felt **a wee bit** guilty about it."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I can lend you fifty pounds, if you want. That should help a bit."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'm still just a bit confused."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He helped me a little bit in the afternoon."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "a little",
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["little", "teensy", "wee"],
                "phrases": ["just a bit", "not the least bit"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a short time or distance",
            "sensetop": "for a bitin a bit",
            "labels": "(especially British English)",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Wait a bit!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Can you move up a bit?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Greg thought for a bit before answering.",
                    "contextForm": "for a bit"
                },
                {
                    "text": "See you in a bit.",
                    "contextForm": "in a bit"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a small amount or piece of something",
            "sensetop": "bit of something",
            "labels": "(especially British English)",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Here are some useful **bits of information**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I have a **bit of** good **news** for you."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Let me give you **a little bit** of advice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "With **a bit of luck**, we'll be there by 12."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I've got a bit of shopping to do."
                },
                {
                    "text": "bits of paper/wood/plastic"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Here's a bit of news that may interest you."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Do you want a bit of pizza?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Can you save me a bit?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "A big bit of plaster just fell down from the ceiling."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She tore the letter up and threw it on the floor. Marion stooped to pick up the bits."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I've bought a nice bit of fish for dinner."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'm worried because bits keep falling off my car."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He managed to get odd bits of work, but no regular job."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a part of something larger",
            "sensetop": "bit about something",
            "labels": "(especially British English)",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The best bit of the holiday was seeing the Grand Canyon."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I read it, but I missed out the boring bits."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I like the bit about owls in the first chapter.",
                    "contextForm": "bit about something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Listen to the interview again and pick out the bits you want to use in the article."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The school play was a huge success—the audience roared with laughter at all the funny bits."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["little", "small", "tiny"],
                "verb + bit": ["pick out", "pick up"],
                "bit + verb": ["fall off"],
                "preposition": ["bit of"],
                "phrases": [
                    "bits and bobs",
                    "bits and pieces",
                    "blow something to bits"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "a large amount",
            "sensetop": "a bit (of something)",
            "labels": "(especially British English, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "‘How much does he earn?’ **‘Quite a bit!’**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It rained **a fair bit** during the night."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The new system will **take a bit of** getting used to *(= it will take a long time to get used to)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘Has it been difficult for you at work?’ ‘Just a bit (= it has been very difficult).’"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We made a good bit of progress."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fair", "good"],
                "verb + a bit": ["take"],
                "phrases": ["quite a bit", "just a bit"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "the smallest unit of information used by a computer",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Computers"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 7,
            "definition": "a metal bar that is put in a horse’s mouth so that the rider can control it",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 8,
            "definition": "a tool or part of a tool for drilling (= making) holes",
            "examples": [],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["little", "small", "tiny"],
                "verb + bit": ["pick out", "pick up"],
                "bit + verb": ["fall off"],
                "preposition": ["bit of"],
                "phrases": [
                    "bits and bobs",
                    "bits and pieces",
                    "blow something to bits"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 9,
            "definition": "an amount of money equal to 12½ cents",
            "labels": "(North American English, informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 10,
            "definition": "a person’s sexual organs",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be very sad or worried",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Inside I'm in bits because I miss him so much."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I’m in bits about the problems I’ve had."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was in bits over her decision to quit."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "behaviour or ideas that are typical of a particular group, type of person or activity",
            "labels": "(informal, disapproving)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She couldn't accept the whole drug-culture bit."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a piece at a time; gradually",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He assembled the model aircraft bit by bit."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Bit by bit memories of the night came back to me."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not fair or not reasonable",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It's a bit much calling me at three in the morning."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The noise from next door is getting a bit much."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used when talking about unpleasant or negative things or ideas, to mean ‘rather a…’",
            "labels": "(informal, especially British English)",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We may have a bit of a problem on our hands."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The rail strike is a bit of a pain."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a person that you think is sexually attractive",
            "labels": "(British English, slang)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a person of a low social class who has a sexual relationship with somebody of a higher class",
            "labels": "(British English, slang)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "the boyfriend or girlfriend of somebody who is already married or in a steady sexual relationship with somebody else",
            "labels": "(British English, slang)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Is he your bit on the side?"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "small objects or items of various kinds",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She stuffed all her bits and pieces into a bag and left."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I just need to get a few bits and pieces at the supermarket."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to use bombs or other weapons to destroy somebody/something completely",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The plane was blown to pieces when the bomb exploded."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "impatient to do or start doing something",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Gerry’s champing at the bit to go to college."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to do your share of a task",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We can finish this job on time if everyone does their bit."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "just as good, bad, etc.; equally good, bad, etc.",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Rome is every bit as beautiful as Paris."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He’s every bit as clever as she is."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to become very enthusiastic about something that you have started to do so that you are unlikely to stop until you have finished",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not at all; not in any way",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "‘Are you cold?’ ‘Not a bit.’"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's not a bit of use *(= there's no point in)* complaining."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'm not the least bit interested in football."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I don't like that idea one bit."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used for saying that something that you had expected to happen did not happen",
            "labels": "(informal, British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You'd think she'd be tired after the journey but not a bit of it!"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not any",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He didn't **take a blind bit of notice** of me *(= he ignored me)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It won't **make the blindest bit of difference** *(= it will make no difference at all)*."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not at all",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Normally I'm not the least bit shy."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He wasn't the slightest bit interested in answering our questions."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "into small pieces",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The book fell to bits in my hands."
                },
                {
                    "text": "All the crockery had been smashed to bits."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She took the engine to bits, then carefully put it together again."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "very much",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I love my kids to bits."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was **thrilled to bits** when I said I'd come."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bɪt/",
                "audio": "bi/bit/bit__gb_6.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bɪt/",
                "audio": "bi/bit/bit__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "senses 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."
}