bite one's lip
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
to stop oneself from speaking or reacting
Literally: to physically bite one's lip
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
She bit her lip to avoid arguing with him
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “bite one's lip” mean?
to stop oneself from speaking or reacting Literally: to physically bite one's lip
Is “bite one's lip” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.