backbite
To make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someoneTo make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.
» Mark tactfully removed himself from any conversation involving backbiting.
Amastan · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRTranslations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Examples
2 sentencesMark tactfully removed himself from any conversation involving backbiting.
She does nothing but backbite.
ruОна только и делает, что злословит. — marafon
Meaning
3 sensesTo make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.
verleumden, afterreden, anschwärzen
злосло́витьzloslóvitʹ, ха́ятьxájatʹ, хули́тьxulítʹ
(informal)To attack from behind or when out of earshot with spiteful or defamatory remarks.
To speak badly of an absent individual.
- say mean things
Origin
From Middle English bakbiten, bacbiten, equivalent to back- + bite. Cognate with IcelandicFrom Middle English bakbiten, bacbiten, equivalent to back- + bite. Cognate with Icelandic bakbíta (“to backbite, vilify”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
backbites, backbiting, backbit, backbittenirregular · Lesson
| Base form | backbite · to backbite |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | backbites |
| Present participle | backbiting |
| Past simple | backbit |
| Past participle | backbitten |
Tenses
backbite · backbit · will backbite · have backbittenPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Synonyms
62 synonymsWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.