bite off

Gnaw a piece

To bite off is to sever something with the teeth: The child bit off a piece of the apple.

The phrase appears most often in the idiom bite off more than you can chew, meaning to take on more than you can handle.

To bite someone's head off is to respond with sudden, disproportionate anger.

sever

chomp

Loud, vigorous mouthwork

  • gnawBite repeatedly at
  • nibbleSmall, tentative bite
  • snapSudden sharp sound

tear · rip · detach · remove · separate · sever · clamp · nip · crunch · chunk

overcommit

overextend

Exceed one's limits

overwhelm · burden · strain · challenge · ambition · hubris · presume · exceed · capacity · workload

Opposites
method of separation

bite offcut off

Separated or disconnected

chop off · saw off · hack off · sever · lop off

attachment vs. detachment

bite offattach

Join or connect

join · connect · affix · fuse · bond

undertaking (idiom: bite off more than one can chew)

bite offdecline

Decrease or refuse

refuse · pass on · turn down · hold back · abstain

Family

off, bite, biting, bitten, bites, bit off, biter, biters

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G