bitch

1 of 2

noun

1
: the female of the dog or some other carnivorous mammals
The behavioral endocrinology of both male dogs and bitches is quite unique and differs from that of most other mammals …Ian Dunbar
compare dog entry 1 sense 1c
2
a
informal + often offensive : a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman
b
informal + offensive
used as a generalized term of abuse and disparagement for a woman
3
informal : something that is extremely difficult, objectionable, or unpleasant
Aspirin overdoses are a bitch to treat.Pamela Grim
July and August were always a bitch in the subway.Harold Robbins
4
informal : complaint
"My biggest bitch with all of CBS' golf is there's no personalization."Chuck Howard

bitch

2 of 2

verb

bitched; bitching; bitches

transitive verb

1
: spoil, botch
bitched up their lives
2
3
: to complain of or about

Examples of bitch in a Sentence

Noun That word is a bitch to spell. tiresome members of the tour group who had one bitch after another Verb He bitched constantly about his old car, but he doesn't like his new one either. those guys are always bitching about something
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
If a shift came as a result of people literally bitching online and complaining about it and talking about it, increase that pressure. Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2023 The Turner-Swift conversation over carbonara Via Carota could be benign as hell, but bitching out your ex is part of the healing, and a huge overlap in their Venn is a former Jonas-ness. Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2023 Everybody’s bitching about the government regulating fisheries. Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bitch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bicche, going back to Old English bicce, perhaps going back to a Germanic noun with varying final consonants and inflectional class, whence Old Norse bikkja "female dog," German (from 15th century) Petze, Betze

Verb

derivative of bitch entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1823, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bitch was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bitch

Cite this Entry

“Bitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bitch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bitch

noun
ˈbich
: a female dog

Medical Definition

bitch

noun
: the female of the dog or some other carnivorous mammals

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